tail off
phrasal verb
tailed off; tailing off; tails off
: to become smaller or quieter in a gradual way
Our productivity tailed off last year.
She started to ask a question and then her voice tailed off.
Examples of tail off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The offense has tailed off badly in Jung’s absence.
—
Evan Grant, Dallas News, 18 Sep. 2023
Biden has overseen record job creation, which has tailed off in recent months but remains solid (although unemployment no longer is the lowest in decades).
—Jim Puzzanghera, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2023
Separate the hide at the tail by either running your knife under the hide or cutting the tail off altogether.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 7 Sep. 2023
Acceleration stays brisk until around 60 mph, tailing off rapidly above that.
—Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 24 Aug. 2023
The tech and temporary help sectors are cutting workers, and hiring in the big hospitality and leisure industry has tailed off.
—Globe Columnist, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2023
But he’s worked his tail off this year to get better and better.
—Ben Thomas | Bthomas@al.com, al, 30 June 2023
Detroit Pistons, Marcus Sasser, G, Houston Sasser flourished until Houston coach Kelvin Sampson's tutelage and worked his tail off on the defensive end, but the fit might be an issue.
—Scooby Axson, USA TODAY, 23 June 2023
While monthly job gains haven’t tailed off as much as anticipated to this point, there is a notable slowdown that’s occurred from the blockbuster job gains of the past three years.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 1 June 2023
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Evan Grant, Dallas News, 18 Sep. 2023
Biden has overseen record job creation, which has tailed off in recent months but remains solid (although unemployment no longer is the lowest in decades).
—Jim Puzzanghera, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2023
Separate the hide at the tail by either running your knife under the hide or cutting the tail off altogether.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 7 Sep. 2023
Acceleration stays brisk until around 60 mph, tailing off rapidly above that.
—Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 24 Aug. 2023
The tech and temporary help sectors are cutting workers, and hiring in the big hospitality and leisure industry has tailed off.
—Globe Columnist, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2023
But he’s worked his tail off this year to get better and better.
—Ben Thomas | Bthomas@al.com, al, 30 June 2023
Detroit Pistons, Marcus Sasser, G, Houston Sasser flourished until Houston coach Kelvin Sampson's tutelage and worked his tail off on the defensive end, but the fit might be an issue.
—Scooby Axson, USA TODAY, 23 June 2023
While monthly job gains haven’t tailed off as much as anticipated to this point, there is a notable slowdown that’s occurred from the blockbuster job gains of the past three years.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 1 June 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tail off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Tail off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tail%20off. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.
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