taper off

verb

tapered off; tapering off; tapers off

: taper

housing starts tapered off in the fall

Synonyms of taper off

• decrease
• diminish
• subside
• die (away or down or out)
• drain (away)
• decline
• fall away
• fall
• ease
• drop (off)

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

The new policy would halt surgeries, taper off hormones and end social accommodations like makeup and wigs. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026

The precipitation is expected to taper off Thursday evening, according to the weather service. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

How long tapering off testosterone takes Recovery is not uniform. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Precipitation is expected to gradually taper off Thursday afternoon as the storm system moves east and weakens. — Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for taper off

• cerenkov
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff

Kids Definition

taper off

verb

: to stop or lessen gradually