Shrunk

Shrunk is the past participle of the verb shrink. Shrink is irregular, with principal parts: shrink, shrank, shrunk. The past participle shrunk is used with a form of have to create perfect tenses: for example, "The sweater has shrunk" or "Prices had shrunk by 20 percent." In the simple past, the form shrank is used: "The population shrank during the drought."

As a verb form, shrunk appears in phrases describing completed reductions in size, amount, or extent. It can apply to physical objects (a garment that has become smaller after washing) as well as abstract quantities (budgets, expectations, or profits).

As an adjective, shrunk occurs in some contexts but is less common than the related adjective shrunken. For describing a noun’s size or state, shrunken is typically preferred, as in "a shrunken sweater," though "shrunk" can appear in less formal uses or certain fixed expressions.

Etymology and classification: shrink is of Germanic origin, with shrank and shrunk representing its irregular vowel changes in the past tense and past participle. This irregularity is a common feature of English strong verbs.

See also: shrink, shrank, shrinkage, shrinking, shrunken.