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Definition of deteriorate verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

deteriorate

verb
 
/dɪˈtɪəriəreɪt/
 
/dɪˈtɪriəreɪt/
[intransitive]
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they deteriorate
 
/dɪˈtɪəriəreɪt/
 
/dɪˈtɪriəreɪt/
he / she / it deteriorates
 
/dɪˈtɪəriəreɪts/
 
/dɪˈtɪriəreɪts/
past simple deteriorated
 
/dɪˈtɪəriəreɪtɪd/
 
/dɪˈtɪriəreɪtɪd/
past participle deteriorated
 
/dɪˈtɪəriəreɪtɪd/
 
/dɪˈtɪriəreɪtɪd/
-ing form deteriorating
 
/dɪˈtɪəriəreɪtɪŋ/
 
/dɪˈtɪriəreɪtɪŋ/
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  1. to become worse
    • Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards.
    • They had to cope with deteriorating weather conditions.
    • deteriorate into something The discussion quickly deteriorated into an angry argument.
    Extra Examples
    • Relations between the two countries have deteriorated further this week.
    • The situation is likely to deteriorate unless something is done now.
    • The unrest rapidly deteriorated into civil war.
    • The overall quality of rivers and canals has deteriorated.
    Topics Change, cause and effectc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • badly
    • seriously
    • severely
    verb + deteriorate
    • begin to
    • continue to
    • be likely to
    preposition
    • into
    See full entry
    Word Originlate 16th cent. (in the sense ‘make worse’): from late Latin deteriorat- ‘worsened’, from the verb deteriorare, from Latin deterior ‘worse’.
See deteriorate in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee deteriorate in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
given
adjective
 
 
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