shrink
Base form
shrink
/ʃrɪŋk/
Past simple
shrank / shrunk
/ʃræŋk/ /ʃrʌŋk/
Past participle
shrunkshrunk / shrunken
/ʃrʌŋk//ʃrʌŋk/ /ˈʃrʌŋkən/
MeaningC1
to become smaller, especially in hot water
to shrink in the wash
In use
- After a modal verb · Form 1This jumper will shrink if you wash it hot.
- Negative · Form 1Don’t worry, cotton sheets won’t shrink much.
- Past simple · Form 2Yesterday my favourite T-shirt shrank in the wash.
- Past simple · Form 2Last year the company shrank from 500 staff to 200.
- Present perfect · Form 3My jeans have shrunk — or I’ve put on weight!
- Past perfect · Form 3By 2010 the lake had shrunk to half its size.
Watch out
Shrank is the past, shrunk comes after have, and shrunk is also used as a past. Shrinked and shranken are wrong.
Same pattern
A — B — CAll three forms differ
Irregular VerbsLearn all three forms for good
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