taper off
verbDefinition of taper off
: taper housing starts tapered off in the fall
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Synonyms & Antonyms for taper off
Synonyms
abate, de-escalate, decline, decrease, die (away or down or out), diminish, drain (away), drop (off), dwindle, ease, ebb, fall, fall away, lessen, let up, lower, moderate, pall, phase down, ratchet (down) also rachet (down) , recede, relent, remit, shrink, subside, taper, wane
Antonyms
accumulate, balloon, build, burgeon (also bourgeon), enlarge, escalate, expand, grow, increase, intensify, mount, mushroom, pick up, rise, snowball, soar, swell, wax
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Examples of taper off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Models project the precipitation to taper off between midday and midafternoon, perhaps changing back to light rain at the event’s conclusion. — Jason Samenow, Washington Post, "It still may snow Saturday, but a significant, record-setting event is very unlikely," 5 Apr. 2018 If found to be habitually using opioids, they are offered treatment in the form of low doses of methadone or buprenorphine, weak opioid substitutes that help users to taper off the stronger stuff. — The Economist, "Welsh prisons are much harsher than England’s on opioid treatment," 12 July 2018 Edward Gasson, of Sheffield University UK, and colleagues, calculated that Antarctica may have initially raised sea levels by roughly eight feet per century, tapering off to 30-36 meters (98-118 feet) after 10,000 years. — Howard Lee, Ars Technica, "What happened last time it was as warm as it’s going to get later this century?," 18 June 2018 But while ticket sales tapered off, foot traffic at the retail shop-box office mashup actually grew enough that Jacobs added Sunday hours out of pure necessity. — Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, "Bodega, bourbon painting classes and studios slated for Alley Theater," 15 June 2018 Showers and thunderstorms also are likely in the evening, tapering off after midnight. — Stephen Hudak, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando weather: Mostly cloudy, highs in the low 90s, thunderstorms after 3 p.m.," 6 July 2018 Tuesday will probably be cloudy again, with more rain throughout the day that may taper off to light showers at night, Dunham said. — Alana Levene, BostonGlobe.com, "After a sunny Sunday, rain is expected on Monday and Tuesday," 3 June 2018 Showers will taper off some for Tuesday and then mostly end by Tuesday night. — Rosemarie Stein | The Oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, "Portland metro Monday weather: More showers, more wind, possible thunderstorms, and hail," 16 Apr. 2018 The rain is expected to taper off in the afternoon. — Matthew Diebel, USA TODAY, "Spring storm slams Northeast, Midwest and South, bringing heavy snow and flooding, travel chaos," 16 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'taper off.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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