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

Rain should taper off as the front passes, with drier weather following later in the day. — Newsroom Meteorologist, Austin American Statesman, 2 Nov. 2026

After a weekend marked by consistent downpours, South Florida will see more rain in the beginning of the week before tapering off into drier conditions at the end of the week. — Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026

Eventually, the big infusions of sand that had built up Southern California’s famous beaches tapered off. — Cindy Carcamo, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Nov. 2026

Meanwhile, the growth of its revenue from search seems to be tapering off. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 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