Meaning & use
in decline
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
Becoming less in amount, quality, importance, or strength over time.
Grammar: Used after 'be' or verbs like 'fall into' or 'go into': The industry is in decline.
Patterns
- be in decline
- fall into decline
- go into decline
- in decline for years
The manufacturing industry has been in decline for decades.
After the war, the city's population went into decline.
Sales are in decline because of the new competitor.
Common combinations
- be in decline
- The number of visitors to the museum is in decline.
- fall into decline
- The old hotel fell into decline after the owner died.
- go into decline
- The empire went into decline in the fifth century.
- in sharp decline
- Butterfly populations are in sharp decline across the region.
Synonyms and how they differ
- declining
- Declining is an adjective used before a noun (declining sales); 'in decline' is a phrase used after a verb (sales are in decline).
- on the decline
- On the decline is very similar but slightly more informal and often used for things that are becoming less common.
Opposites
Commonly confused: in decline or decline?
in decline vs decline
Decline as a verb means 'refuse' or 'become less'; 'in decline' is a phrase meaning 'in a state of becoming less'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'in decline' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses 'in decline' after 'is' to mean the company is becoming less successful. The others are grammatically incorrect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “in decline”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.