“使衰退”常见的英文表达有 cause the decline of、lead to the deterioration of 、bring about the decline/wane of 等，具体使用哪个取决于语境和想要强调的侧重点：
cause the decline of：强调是导致衰退的直接原因，“cause”意为“引起，导致” ，“decline”指“下降，衰退”。
例句：Overfishing has caused the decline of many fish species in the ocean.（过度捕捞已导致海洋中许多鱼类种群的衰退。）
lead to the deterioration of：侧重于说明某种情况或行为导致事物状态变差、走向衰退，“lead to”意思是“导致”，“deterioration”表示“恶化，衰退” 。
例句：The lack of proper maintenance has led to the deterioration of this historic building.（缺乏适当的维护已导致这座历史建筑走向衰败。）
bring about the decline/wane of： “bring about”意为“带来，导致”，“wane”同样有“衰退，减弱”的含义，此表达也用于说明引发衰退这一结果。
例句：The economic crisis brought about the decline of many small businesses.（经济危机导致了许多小企业的衰落 。）