petering (out)

present participle of peter (out)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for petering (out)
Verb
  • Saturday Night Live‘s Weekend Update mocked Donald Trump‘s multiple White House renovations, as well his inability to be normal even while giving out candy to trick or treaters.
    William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2025
  • The call was to be concluded by giving out a lottery number.
    Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Like a snake shedding its skin, The Girlfriend’s expendable outer layers are falling away to reveal a more interesting core.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Gallagher had an underwhelming first year with Atletico, which started well before falling away, and now finds himself no longer a first choice for coach Diego Simeone.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • For eastern Cuba, heavy rains will continue this morning, tapering off this afternoon.
    MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The hot start dwindled in the second half, and after completing 10 of his first 14 passes, Loftis missed 12 of his next 22 passes, tapering off as the game got out of hand.
    Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2025
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

Cite this Entry

“Petering (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petering%20%28out%29. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.

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!