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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Increasing Daytime Movement Whitetail research shows that daytime movement gradually increases throughout summer and fall, peaks during the rut, and tapers off into the late season. Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 24 Oct. 2024 For her monologue, Grande wore a magenta strapless dress complete with a corseted top and an extreme sweetheart neckline, which flared out into a voluminous tulip skirt that tapered off at her calves. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2024 In places where weaver ants weren’t present, insectivorous bird species diversity peaked at low elevations and tapered off higher up in the mountains. Byalice Sun, science.org, 25 Sep. 2024 Her polling surge appeared to be tapering off, with Trump notching one of his first leads by a major pollster since early August with a New York Times/Siena survey taken Sept. 3-6 that found him up by one point, 48% to 47%. Sara Dorn, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for taper off 

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 21 Nov. 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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