a decline in student numbers
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
a decrease in the number of students
Literally: a decrease in the number of students
Register: neutral
Examples
The university faced a decline in student numbers over the past few years.
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Everyday learner phrase (CEFR B2); level cross-referenced from published learner lists. Definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “a decline in student numbers” mean?
a decrease in the number of students Literally: a decrease in the number of students
Is “a decline in student numbers” formal or informal?
a decline in student numbers is generally neutral.