1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

petering (out)

verb

present participle of peter (out)
as in melting (away)

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for petering (out)
  1. giving out
  2. falling away
  3. tapering off
Verb
  • The best part of her job, said Lisa Hafoka, is giving out scholarships.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Cops were spotted out in force giving out $190 traffic tickets to cyclists blowing red lights or riding in the bus lane — just hours after the fatal crash.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of giving out
Verb
  • When algorithms see these frictions falling away, the need for a driver premium plummets, deflating the surge price.
    — Christopher S. Tang, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
  • But the memorandum drafted between Kyiv and Washington on an early-stage drone deal appears to suggest those obstacles may be falling away.
    — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Definition of falling away
Verb
  • Al-Deek says relief can come from a few different directions — hormone replacement therapy, switching to a different antidepressant, adjusting your dose or tapering off the medication altogether.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Rain chances continue into Thursday, with storm activity tapering off in the evening.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of tapering off
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.

Browse Nearby Words

petered (out)
petering (out)
peter (out)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Petering (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petering%20%28out%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of argot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All