taper off

verb

tapered off; tapering off; tapers off
: taper
housing starts tapered off in the fall

Examples of taper off in a Sentence

at this time of the year, light begins to taper off a little earlier each day
Recent Examples on the Web Those levels tapered off and are undetectable now, based on recent testing, but the chemicals were still detectable in Sulphur Run through March 2023. Brenda Goodman, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 The showers are likely to taper off Wednesday evening, said National Weather Service meteorologist Alexis Clouser. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024 The storm is forecast to taper off Wednesday night. Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024 But despite strong preorders, demand is expected to taper off. Victoria Song, The Verge, 14 Feb. 2024 Federal filings made public on Wednesday underscore just how loosely the Florida governor’s campaign and the pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down spent their cash, even as donor interest in DeSantis’ presidential ambitions tapered off and his poll numbers declined. Max Greenwood, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2024 The snow will start tapering off around midnight Wednesday in southwestern and western Wisconsin, and early Wednesday morning in the eastern and central parts of the state. Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2024 Rain continues in the evening and some heavy downpours are possible before tapering off around midnight or a little after. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 27 Dec. 2023 These winds are expected to peak on Friday and then taper off through the weekend. Nicholas Merianos, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'taper off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of taper off was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near taper off

Cite this Entry

“Taper off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taper%20off. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

taper off

verb
: to stop or lessen gradually

More from Merriam-Webster on taper off

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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