The sphere remained in its large size and did not shrink any.

But so do many private individuals, and we do not believe that a citizen's sphere of personal freedom necessarily shrinks as his power and influence grow.

Ukraine is, in fact, a special case for Russia, whose sphere of influence in Europe has shrunk steadily since 1989 - first when Germany was reunified and most recently with the expansion of the European Union last spring.

His image was gone, and the orange sphere was shrinking.

But Howe withstood it without change of expression; the sphere shrank again.

As Ash and Dawn make their way up the tower, they watch as Darkrai's sphere gets weaker and eventually shrinks, causing Dialga and Palkia to break free.

The new immortals will no doubt age better than that, but the sphere of their moral concern will probably shrink as their contemporaries from the lower tax brackets die off.

As Norway's sphere of international influence shrank, Norway's neighbours began to close in, leaving this one-time world power having to fight for its independence.

At once, the sphere shrank to the least possible dimension.

The sphere suddenly shrank to its proper focus and the worst of his panic was over.