Despite the competition's popularity from the 1950s to the 1970s, crowds diminished from 50,000 at its peak to around 5,000 by the 1980s and early 1990s.

They waited a moment on the deck, until the crowd on the plank had diminished to a few late stragglers, then started down.

Not only had the crowds on Broadway not diminished, they were larger than ever.

August's crowds severely diminish the chances of spotting familiar faces.

Out in the main control room, the crowd had diminished.

By yesterday morning, the crowds, if not the sense of urgency, had diminished slightly.

Once the crowds diminished, the live performances were called off.

By 1990, when the most recent statistics were compiled, the marijuana-smoking crowd had diminished by more than a third, to 20.5 million.

Entering the gym, he saw that the crowd hadn't diminished appreciably from its numbers the day before.

In a moment the crowd had diminished by half, and the guards were gathering in a ring around the overman.