Is shrank or shrunk the past tense for 'shrink'?
The verb shrink has been a source of contention amongst grammarians. Most agree that the simple past tense is shrank, but the preferable past participle form appears up for debate.
Both shrank or shrunk can appear as the simple past tense or as the past participle.
In UK English, shrunk is more commonly used as a past participle. Shrunken is its adjective form: can you grab my shrunken sweater from the closet?
How to conjugate shrink?
The verb shrink is defined by the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary as to, “to become smaller, or to make something smaller: Your sweater will shrink if you wash it at too high a temperature.“
Shrink is also a noun in English, with an entirely separate meaning, i.e., “a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychotherapist.” A shrink is an informal way to refer to a psychologist or therapist.
Verb conjugations: shrink
| Present | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | I shrink | I shrank | I will shrink |
| Continuous | I am shrinking | I was shrinking | I will be shrinking |
| Perfect | I have shrunk | I had shrunk | I will have shrunk |
| Perfect Continuous | I have been shrinking | I had been shrinking | I will have been shrinking |
Irregular verbs like shrink
See other verb forms that have 3 conjugations (like shrink/shrank/shrunk):
| Base verb | Past tense | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| sing | sang | sung |
| ring | rang | rung |
| sink | sank | sunk |
| shrink | shrank | shrunk |
When to use shrank or shrunk
I shrank my sweater in the dryer.
I have shrunk many sweaters from puting them in the dryer.
The difference is in the past simple tense being a tense (slice of time) in which an action or event occurred and was completed. The past participle is a form of verb that does not, on its own, convey tense, and so uses a helping or auxiliary verb, such as had/have/has. Beyond that, the past participle forms the passive voice, and one of the perfect tenses. The perfect tense is a verb form that shows an action or state of being as complicated, but focuses more on the outcome or ‘resulting state rather than the occurrence itself.’
Examples of shrink in the present simple tense—
| Verb: Shrink | Example sentences |
|---|---|
| Shrink (shrinks/shrinking) |
Will this shrink in the wash? I want to shrink and hide away from embarrassment. She's going to shrink your sweater. |
| Shrank or shrunk | He shrank the material and sank the boat. Profits shrunk by 4% this quarter. Social media, in a sense, has shrunk the globe. |
The pattern: drink/drank/drunk for shrink/shrank/shrunk.
| Word | Similar words |
|---|---|
| shrink | lessen, reduce, decrease, bring down |
Word origin
Middle English shrinken, from Old English scrincan “to draw in the limbs, contract spontaneously, shrivel up; wither, from Proto-Germanic *skrink-.
Practice: shrank or shrunk
My favorite sweater ______ in the wash and now it’s too small.
The company’s profits have ______ over the last quarter.
The old wooden door ______ over time, making it difficult to close.
He had ______ away from the challenge, afraid to fail.
After the long hike, his water supply had ______ significantly.
FAQs
What is the simple past tense of shrink?
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When should I use “shrunk”?
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What is the difference between shrank & shrunk?
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Is “shrunken” a verb form of shrink?
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Can both shrank and shrunk be simple past?
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Yash, D. "How to Use Shrank or Shrunk (Irregular Verbs)." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/shrank-or-shrunk/.
