decline
Decline is like when your ice cream starts to melt on a hot day. At first, it’s a big, yummy scoop, but as time goes by and the sun shines, it gets smaller and smaller until it’s all gone. This is what decline means: something getting smaller or going away over time.
Imagine your favorite toy is a balloon. When it’s full of air, it can bounce and float. But if you let go of it or it gets a tiny hole, the air slowly comes out, and it doesn’t float anymore. The balloon is declining because it’s losing air and getting smaller.
Think of a big, tall tree that loses its leaves in autumn. The leaves are green and full of life in the summer, but as the seasons change, they turn yellow and fall to the ground. This is the tree declining for the winter, losing its leaves and getting ready to rest.
Decline can also be like when you’re playing on a slide. At the top, you’re high up, but as you slide down, you get lower and lower until you reach the bottom. Decline is just like that, going from high to low, or from big to small.