declineKK [dɪˋklaɪn] /dɪˈklaɪn/發音de- 向下、除去+cline 傾斜→向下傾斜展開收合de-字首向下、除去cline字根傾斜字面：向下傾斜向下傾斜，引申為數量或狀況往下走，即下降、衰退；也用於把請求往旁邊推開，即婉拒。動詞1婉拒、拒絕、謝絕較正式She politely declined the invitation to the awards dinner.她客氣地婉拒了頒獎晚宴的邀請。2下降、減少、下滑Sales declined sharply during the last three months.過去三個月的銷售額大幅下滑。3衰退、衰弱、走下坡His health declined rapidly after the surgery.手術之後他的健康迅速衰退。名詞1下降、減少、下滑There has been a steady decline in newspaper readership.報紙的讀者人數持續下降。2衰退、衰落、沒落The old factory town has been in decline for decades.這座老工業城鎮已經衰落了好幾十年。