as in decreased
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
at this time of the year, light begins to taper off a little earlier each day
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Recent Examples of tapered off
As the rain tapered off in the afternoon, the Skippers (20-2) were eager to defend their home turf.
—
Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026
That growth, though, has now tapered off.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 May 2026
Their 3-point shooting quickly tapered off for the remainder of the game.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2026
While Brent crude has tapered off from its wartime high of $126 per barrel at the end of April, prices are still more than 38% above levels seen before the Middle East conflict intensified.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 May 2026
Then Zabinski did the final round after the snow tapered off late Wednesday morning.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 7 May 2026
That practice tapered off as A-listers grew pickier about their brands and ever more committed to building a lasting legacy.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 4 May 2026
The 2025 event in Virginia helped bolster the coin's value for a time, but interest in the currency again tapered off.
—Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
What initially felt like a meteoric rise tapered off into a slow burn.
—Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026
That growth, though, has now tapered off.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 May 2026
Their 3-point shooting quickly tapered off for the remainder of the game.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2026
While Brent crude has tapered off from its wartime high of $126 per barrel at the end of April, prices are still more than 38% above levels seen before the Middle East conflict intensified.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 May 2026
Then Zabinski did the final round after the snow tapered off late Wednesday morning.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 7 May 2026
That practice tapered off as A-listers grew pickier about their brands and ever more committed to building a lasting legacy.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 4 May 2026
The 2025 event in Virginia helped bolster the coin's value for a time, but interest in the currency again tapered off.
—Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
What initially felt like a meteoric rise tapered off into a slow burn.
—Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tapered off
Verb
-
Homicides have decreased by roughly 11% from this time in 2025, which ended with a 60-year low in the number of people killed; the city has also had 148 fewer people shot.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
This isn’t unique to Sacramento, with Smith noting that an American Alliance of Museums survey found that 55% of museums report decreased traffic.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Polis wrote in his veto letter that the bill would have diminished incentives for fire departments to participate in the Colorado Firefighter Trust, which replaced state workers’ compensation for firefighters’ cancer claims.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
-
Phosphorus has diminished some.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the ceasefire has seen almost daily Israeli fire.—
Ahmad Mantash,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
The surgery in July 2022 went as planned, and in the early weeks of recovery, nothing appeared out of the ordinary as the swelling gradually subsided.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Piccotto effectively plays the regret of a mother forced to reckon with the loss of a child, the horror of engaging with that child again, while also grappling with her own role as a mother felled by the scourge of addiction.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
In a Western Conference Final where a few other key Colorado Avalanche players are already playing through injuries, the NHL’s leading goal scorer this season was felled trying to prevent someone else from scoring.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
SpaceX Two minutes and 24 seconds after liftoff, now out of the dense lower atmosphere, the Starship upper stage's six Raptors ignited just before the Super Heavy first stage fell away.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
22 May 2026
-
The sense of a cultural in- and out-group dissolved as niche communities grew and old-school ideas of coolness fell away.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tapered off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tapered%20off. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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