shrivel

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shriv·el

(shrĭv′əl)

intr. & tr.v. shriv·eled, shriv·el·ing, shriv·els or shriv·elled or shriv·el·ling

1. To become or make shrunken and wrinkled, often by drying: Leaves die, fall, and shrivel. The heat shriveled the unwatered seedlings.

2. To lose or cause to lose vitality or intensity: My enthusiasm shriveled as the project wore on. Inflation shriveled the buying power of the dollar.

3. To become or make much less or smaller; dwindle.

[Origin unknown.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

shrivel

(ˈʃrɪvəl)

vb, -els, -elling or -elled, -els, -eling or -eled

1. to make or become shrunken and withered

2. to lose or cause to lose vitality

[C16: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish dialect skryvla wrinkle]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

shriv•el

(ˈʃrɪv əl)

v.t., v.i. -eled, -el•ing (esp. Brit.) -elled, -el•ling.

1. to contract and wrinkle, as from great heat, cold, or dryness.

2. to wither; make or become helpless or useless: shriveled from fear.

[1595–1605; akin to dial. Swedish skryvla to wrinkle]

Shrivel

of critics: critics collectively—Lipton, 1970.

shrivel

Past participle: shrivelled
Gerund: shrivelling

Imperative
shrivel
shrivel

Present
I shrivel
you shrivel
he/she/it shrivels
we shrivel
you shrivel
they shrivel

Preterite
I shrivelled
you shrivelled
he/she/it shrivelled
we shrivelled
you shrivelled
they shrivelled

Present Continuous
I am shrivelling
you are shrivelling
he/she/it is shrivelling
we are shrivelling
you are shrivelling
they are shrivelling

Present Perfect
I have shrivelled
you have shrivelled
he/she/it has shrivelled
we have shrivelled
you have shrivelled
they have shrivelled

Past Continuous
I was shrivelling
you were shrivelling
he/she/it was shrivelling
we were shrivelling
you were shrivelling
they were shrivelling

Past Perfect
I had shrivelled
you had shrivelled
he/she/it had shrivelled
we had shrivelled
you had shrivelled
they had shrivelled

Future
I will shrivel
you will shrivel
he/she/it will shrivel
we will shrivel
you will shrivel
they will shrivel

Future Perfect
I will have shrivelled
you will have shrivelled
he/she/it will have shrivelled
we will have shrivelled
you will have shrivelled
they will have shrivelled

Future Continuous
I will be shrivelling
you will be shrivelling
he/she/it will be shrivelling
we will be shrivelling
you will be shrivelling
they will be shrivelling

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been shrivelling
you have been shrivelling
he/she/it has been shrivelling
we have been shrivelling
you have been shrivelling
they have been shrivelling

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been shrivelling
you will have been shrivelling
he/she/it will have been shrivelling
we will have been shrivelling
you will have been shrivelling
they will have been shrivelling

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been shrivelling
you had been shrivelling
he/she/it had been shrivelling
we had been shrivelling
you had been shrivelling
they had been shrivelling

Conditional
I would shrivel
you would shrivel
he/she/it would shrivel
we would shrivel
you would shrivel
they would shrivel

Past Conditional
I would have shrivelled
you would have shrivelled
he/she/it would have shrivelled
we would have shrivelled
you would have shrivelled
they would have shrivelled

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Verb	1.	shrivel - wither, as with a loss of moisture; "The fruit dried and shriveled" shrink, shrivel up, wither atrophy - undergo atrophy; "Muscles that are not used will atrophy" decrease, diminish, lessen, fall - decrease in size, extent, or range; "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper" blast - shrivel or wither or mature imperfectly die back, die down - suffer from a disease that kills shoots; "The plants near the garage are dying back" dry up, mummify - dry up and shrivel due to complete loss of moisture; "a mummified body was found"
	2.	shrivel - decrease in size, range, or extent; "His earnings shrank"; "My courage shrivelled when I saw the task before me" shrink decrease, diminish, lessen, fall - decrease in size, extent, or range; "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper"

shrivel

verb wither, dry (up), wilt, shrink, wrinkle, dwindle, dehydrate, desiccate, wizen The plant shrivels and dies.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

shrivel

verb

To make or become no longer fresh or shapely because of loss of moisture:

dry up, mummify, sear, wither, wizen.

Translations

يَتَغَضَّن، يَجِف

seschnoutzvadnout

visne

verwelken

flétrir

òurrka upp; skreppa saman; skrælna

raggrinzare raggrinzarsi

sačokurotsačokurotiessaraukt

zoschnúť

ovenetisušiti se

buruş makbüz mek

枯萎

shrivel

[ˈʃrɪvl] (also shrivel up)

A. VT [+ plant etc] → marchitar, secar; [+ skin] → arrugar

B. VI [plant etc] → marchitarse, secarse; [skin etc] → arrugarse

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

shrivel

[ˈʃrɪv^əl]

vt → ratatiner, flétrir

vi (also shrivel up) → se ratatiner, se flétrir

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

shrivel

vt plants (frost, dryness) → welk werden lassen; (heat) → austrocknen; skin, fruit → runzlig werden lassen; nylon → zusammenschrumpfen lassen

vi → kleiner werden, schrumpfen; (balloon, nylon) → zusammenschrumpfen; (plants) → welk werden; (through heat) → austrocknen; (fruit, skin) → runzlig werden ? also shrivelled

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

shrivel

[ˈʃrɪvl] (also shrivel up)

1. vt (plant) → far rinsecchire; (skin) → far raggrinzire, far avvizzire

2. vi (see vt) → rinsecchirsi, raggrinzirsi, avvizzire

shrivel

(ˈʃrivl) – past tense, past participle ˈshrivelled , (American) ˈshriveled – verb

to make or become dried up, wrinkled and withered. The flowers shrivelled in the heat.

shrivel up

to shrivel. The flowers shrivelled up; The heat shrivelled up the flowers.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

For in his eyes I read some lurid woe would shrivel me up, had I it.

View in context

To say the truth, whether it were chance, or skill, or downright witchcraft, there was something wonderfully human in this ridiculous shape, bedizened with its tattered finery; and as for the countenance, it appeared to shrivel its yellow surface into a grin--a funny kind of expression betwixt scorn and merriment, as if it understood itself to be a jest at mankind.

View in context

Now I knew she was used to receiving about a penny from manly people who care nothing about the opinions of scullery-maids, and about tuppence from moral cowards; but I laid a silver twenty-five cent piece within her reach and tried to shrivel her up with this sarcastic speech:

She did not shrivel. Without deigning to look at me at all, she languidly lifted the coin and bit it!--to see if it was good.

View in context

Even while the party were looking at it, the flower continued to shrivel up, till it became as dry and fragile as when the doctor had first thrown it into the vase.

View in context

All the proud foliage Of the crested forests is shorn, and shrivels down Beneath the blade of ice.

View in context

His shriveled old hands were folded and on the finger of one of them Pierre noticed a large cast iron ring with a seal representing a death's head.

View in context

"He gave no heed to my entreaties, but (as fearless a gentleman as lived in all the South) walked quickly to the center of the room, knelt beside one of the bodies for a closer examination and tenderly raised its blackened and shriveled head in his hands.

View in context

Pretty soon a spider went crawling up my shoulder, and I flipped it off and it lit in the candle; and before I could budge it was all shriveled up.

View in context

The were vile, and making shrivel I was just over three months pregnant.

Trolls only screw you up if you let them

According to the median projections, by the year 2065, Taiwan's population will shrivel to 17 million, while the high estimate is 18 million and the low projection is 16 million.

Taiwan's population trending toward faster decline than predicted

It makes your heart shrivel up Comedian Jo Brand I have spent most of my professional life trying to tell people that I sing, including my agent, but they all sort of pat me on the head and say 'Yes, I know' Comedian, actor and presenter Alexander Armstrong I have never taken exception to the term 'housewife'.