verb

encoger

shrink · hunch up

Es hacer que algo se vuelva más pequeño o ocupe menos espacio.

Definition & meaning

Encoger is a Spanish verb meaning to shrink, get smaller, or contract. It can be used for something that becomes smaller or for an action that makes it smaller:

La camiseta encogió al lavarla. — The T-shirt shrank when it was washed.
El frío encoge los músculos. — Cold makes the muscles contract.

It can also mean to draw in, pull in, or huddle, often describing a person’s body or posture:

Encogió los hombros. — They shrugged.
Se encogió de miedo. — They cowered in fear.

In figurative contexts, it can describe something diminishing or becoming less intense, such as encogerse el corazón—literally “for the heart to shrink,” meaning to feel distressed or moved.

Grammar & Word origin

Encoger is an infinitive verb. It can be transitive (“to make something shrink”) or intransitive (“to shrink”). It is also commonly used with the reflexive pronoun, as encogerse, to mean “to shrink” or “to draw oneself in.”

It is generally conjugated regularly, but the g changes to j before a and o to preserve the same sound: encoger , encojo , encoja . Its gerund is encogiendo , and its past participle is encogido .

The word is formed from the prefix en- and coger , historically associated with gathering or drawing together.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms vary by meaning:

reducir — “to reduce”; usually emphasizes making something smaller or less in amount.
contraer — “to contract”; often used for muscles, materials, or other things that tighten or shorten.
achicar — “to make smaller”; often more explicitly transitive than encoger.
agazaparse — “to crouch” or “to huddle”; specifically describes lowering or folding the body.