The usual expression is 'in decline' to describe something that is becoming weaker, smaller, or less successful. 'Of decline' is not normally used as a fixed combination.
'In decline' is the standard expression for a negative change over time. 'Of decline' is usually not idiomatic after the noun 'decline', although 'of' may appear in longer phrases such as 'signs of decline'.
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
Use 'in decline' after a noun or verb to show that something is becoming less successful, healthy, or important.
Use 'decline in' before the thing that becomes smaller in amount or quality.
Here, 'of' belongs to the noun phrase 'signs of decline', not directly to 'decline' itself.
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
Use 'in decline' to describe a downward trend or weakening condition.
✕ The company is of decline. ✓ The company is in decline.'Decline in' introduces what decreases, while 'in decline' describes a state.
✕ There was an in decline sales. ✓ There was a decline in sales.'Decline of' can appear in specific structures such as 'the decline of the empire', but not as a replacement for 'in decline'.
✕ The industry is decline of. ✓ The industry is in decline.Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
It is neutral and common in both formal and informal English.
Yes. It is correct in phrases like 'the decline of the Roman Empire', where 'of' introduces what is declining.
Not usually. English normally uses 'in decline' for that meaning.
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