Diminishing returns is an economic concept that states that as more of a resource is used, the LESS productive it becomes. This is often referred to as the law of diminishing returns. The term can also be used to describe the situation when the benefit of an action decreases with each repetition. For example, if someone were to repeat a joke, the joke would become LESS funny with each repetition, or in other words, the returns of the joke would diminish. The term diminishing returns can also be used to describe the ECHOES of a sound that become quieter and quieter with each repetition.