taper

verb

ˈtā-pər How to pronounce taper (audio)
Definition of tapernext
as in to decrease
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually you'll find the symptoms begin tapering gradually about 24 hours after you take the medicine

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of taper In early November, Tufts and Clancy agreed on a plan to taper her off the benzodiazepine, which the psychiatrist said has a risk of dependency. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026 Chico’s is offering up to 60 percent off tapered, cropped, and pull-on styles, but not for much longer. — Destinee Scott, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2026 Love Joy’s was the only one that resembled the kind of proper house drawn by all school-age children the world over, with proper walls and a roof that properly tapered. — Literary Hub, 3 Aug. 2026 More pertinently, Newcastle’s largesse has tapered even as Premier League clubs are spending ever more. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for taper
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taper
  1. decrease
  2. subside
  3. diminish
  4. ease
  5. shrink
  6. decline
  7. fall
Verb
  • The researchers’ models suggest that areas near the escarpment could have lost as much as 8 kilometers of rock, with erosion decreasing farther away from the ancient cliff.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
  • An early positive working relationship has been struck with Ross Wilson, the sporting director, and the pair usually speak multiple times every day, although their volume of conversations may decrease slightly once the transfer window closes.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of decrease
Verb
  • Washington and Tehran agreed in June to a 60-day ceasefire, allowing time to negotiate a more durable peace deal while active fighting subsided and the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The drama of last year’s Ole Miss team under Lane Kiffin has subsided.
    — PJ Green August 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of subside
Verb
  • The term refers to when tobacco companies in the 1990s were forced to pay billions of dollars for misleading the public about the safety and potential harms of their products, and subsequently saw their power and influence dramatically diminished.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The filter significantly diminishes elements commonly found in water that can be damaging, like chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, heavy metals, and more.
    — Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of diminish
Verb
  • The deployment of more than 1,500 soldiers to protect Michoacán’s avocado-growing region and recent arrests of people allegedly involved in extortion have eased concerns, but only partially.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The bad blood between West Ham and Sheffield United over the Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano saga has eased over the years, but the rivalry will reconvene in Yorkshire on December 4.
    — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of ease
Verb
  • As the Danube waters shrank in Bulgaria, researchers were thrilled to find and recover a jawbone, tusks, a shoulder blade, ribs and other bone fragments belonging to an extinct woolly mammoth buried deep in the sand.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • That reduction could dramatically shrink the reactor’s physical footprint.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of shrink
Verb
  • Watts declined Rolling Stone’s multiple requests for an interview and did not specifically address a majority of questions posed to him in a detailed request for comment.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • When first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury in May, Devers declined to learn the position despite Boston’s dearth of options.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of decline
Verb
  • When night falls, another show begins with a dedicated corner of the estate designed for stargazing.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Zinc ions enter the electrode first at higher voltages, while much smaller protons are stored later as the voltage falls.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of fall

Phrases Containing taper

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taped
taper
tape recording
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Cite this Entry

“Taper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taper. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on taper

Nglish: Translation of taper for Spanish Speakers

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