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.
But the increase in sales could begin to taper off in the coming months. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025 Oftentimes, cybersecurity vendors wax and wane with the quality of their detection capabilities, and management should be able to understand when that once-hot vendor starts to taper off in value. Alex Lanstein, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025 Clearly, that was not an outcome predicted when Rashford put pen to paper nearly two years ago, but his form tapered off under Ten Hag and culminated in successor Amorim exiling him from selections over training performances. Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025 But by the 1940s and ’50s, organ-meat consumption had begun to taper off. Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Taper off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taper%20off. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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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