decline
[dɪ'klaɪn] verb
GO DOWN 下行
ADVANCED intransitive
■to gradually become less, worse, or lower （逐渐）减少，衰落，降低•His interest in the project declined after his wife died.妻子死后，他对该企划案的兴趣逐渐淡薄了。 •The party's popularity has declined in the opinion polls.民意调查显示该党的支持率已经下滑。 •formal The land declines sharply away from the house.地势从房屋那边开始大幅度向下倾斜。
[dɪ'klaɪn] verb
REFUSE 拒绝
ADVANCED intransitive or transitive formal
■to refuse 拒绝，谢绝•I invited him to the meeting but he declined.我邀请他参加那次会议，但他谢绝了。 •He declined my offer.他拒绝了我的提议。 •[+ to infinitive] They declined to tell me how they had got my address.他们拒绝透露是如何得到我的地址的。
[dɪ'klaɪn] verb
GRAMMAR 文法
intransitive or transitive specialized
■If a noun, pronoun or adjective declines, it has different forms depending on whether it is the subject or object, etc. of a verb and whether it is singular or plural, etc. If you decline such a word, you list its various forms. 词类变化；使（名词，代词或形容词）的数和格发生变化［如果一个名词、代词或形容词有词类变化，则需根据它是一个动词的主词或受词，或根据它是单数或复数，来选择适用的形式；如果你让这样一个词（名词、代词或形容词）的词类有变化，即是你让这个词的数或格发生变化，你会列出它的不同形式］•In Latin we learnt how to decline nouns.学习拉丁语要了解名词的变格规则。
[dɪ'klaɪn] verb
sb's declining years
■the last years of someone's life （某人的）晚年，风烛残年•He became very forgetful in his declining years.他晚年的时候非常健忘。
[dɪ'klaɪn] noun [S or U]
IMPROVER
■when something becomes less in amount, importance, quality or strength 衰落；衰弱，衰退•industrial decline工业的衰落 •Home cooking seems to be on the/in decline (= not so many people are doing it).自己在家做饭的人似乎越来越少了。 •a decline in the number of unemployed失业人数的下降 •She seemed to be recovering and then she went into a decline.她的身体似乎开始恢复了，但后来却又变得越来越虚弱。 |