decline, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn mean to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering. decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.

DECLINE definition: 1. to gradually become less, worse, or lower: 2. to refuse: 3. If a noun, pronoun, or adjective…. Learn more.

DECLINE definition: to withhold or deny consent to do, enter into or upon, etc.; refuse. See examples of decline used in a sentence.

To degrade or lower oneself; stoop: refused to decline to their level of behavior. 4. To deteriorate gradually; fail: His health has been declining for years. 5. a. To sink, as the setting sun. b. To draw …

Apr 15, 2026 · Decline, refuse, forbear, refrain: Decline is gentler than refuse and carries a connotation that the non-acceptance is an acceptable or anticipated option (decline an invitation) or the result of …

Definition of decline verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

a gradual deterioration of the physical powers, as in later life or in disease: After his seventieth birthday he went into a decline. progress downward or toward the close, as of the sun or the day.

To refuse; refuse or withhold consent to do, accept, or enter upon: as, to decline a contest; to decline an offer. In grammar, to inflect, as a noun or an adjective; give the case-forms of a noun or an …

If you decline something or decline to do something, you politely refuse to accept it or do it.

Decline definition: To express polite refusal.