shrank

shrink away (from someone or something)

1. To withdraw, recede, or recoil (from someone or something). The way the gums are shrinking away from your teeth is a clear sign of gingivitis. The child shrank away as the strange man approached him.
2. To avoid or neglect some action, duty, or responsibility. You wanted to lead this branch, which means you can't shrink away from the thornier aspects of the job. We need someone who won't shrink away when it comes to making tough decisions.
See also: away, shrink, someone

shrink back

To recede or recoil. The way the gums are shrinking back from your teeth is a clear sign of gingivitis. The child shrank back when we approached the house.
See also: back, shrink

shrink from (someone or something)

1. To recede or recoil from someone or something. The way the gums are shrinking from your teeth is a clear sign of gingivitis. The child shrank from the men as they approached the house.
2. To avoid or neglect some action, duty, or responsibility. You wanted to lead this branch, which means you can't shrink from the thornier aspects of the job. We need someone who won't shrink from making tough decisions.
See also: shrink

shrink up

1. To become shrunken or shriveled. These pants will shrink up if you wash them in hot water.
2. To cause something to become shrunken or shriveled. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "shrink" and "up." The plastic wrap fits loosely around the boxes, then the heat from the machine shrinks it up to create a snug fit.
3. To recoil and contract one's body into a smaller posture. The children shrank up as their parents began shouting at each other at the dinner table. I shrank up in the shadows of the alley to avoid being seen by the patrolling guards.
4. To become withdrawn socially. I've noticed Tom shrinking up more and more in the classroom. I'd better check to see that everything is all right. After the divorce, I just sort of shrank up and kept myself to myself.
See also: shrink, up
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

shrink back

v.
To draw back instinctively, as in alarm; recoil: The dog shrank back in fear when I raised my hand.
See also: back, shrink
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • are we away
  • Are we away?
  • away
  • draw away
  • do away with
  • do away with (someone, something, or oneself)
  • draw away from (someone or something)
  • dwindle away
  • drift away
  • be far and away
References in periodicals archive
The company said Shrank will also serve as a member of the Humana management team
In his new role as chief medical officer, Dr Shrank will play an important leadership role in implementing the company's integrated care delivery strategy.
Humana appoints William Shrank as new chief medical officer
Over recent geologic time, as the lunar interior cooled and contracted the entire moon shrank by about 100 m.
NASA's LRO shows 'moon may be shrinking'
But this September, the hole staged a sudden retreat: It shrank nearly by half, then split in two.
The incredible shrinking ozone hole. (Earth News/Graph It!)
The drug shrank or stopped tumor growth for at least 6 months from the beginning of treatment.
New drug takes on intestinal cancer
According to Which?, certain fruit juices had been sold in one litre cartons, but this measure was shrank to 850ml, despite the price staying at about GBP2.48.
Supermarket products getting smaller but the prices stay the same
The seagoing reptiles shrank by as much as 20 percent during a 2-year food shortage inflicted by El Nino, says Martin Wikelski of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Famine reveals incredible shrinking iguanas