as in decreasing
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 tapering off
The first-round showers and storms will move eastward through the rest of Saturday morning with the activity tapering off in the early afternoon.
—
Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 6 June 2026
For most movies, the opening weekend is the most lucrative, with ticket sales tapering off from there.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 31 May 2026
Overnight showers and thunderstorms are tapering off across the Kansas City metro, but forecasters say the bigger concern comes later Monday, when severe weather is likely, the National Weather Service said.
—Kansas City Star, 18 May 2026
Showers could linger into Wednesday night before gradually tapering off, with cooler air settling in and lows dropping into the 50s.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2026
There may be some consolation in the fact that some housing experts, like Cotality's chief economist, Selma Hepp, think that the recent period of skyrocketing housing costs may be tapering off.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
On Saturday, Ventura County could see wind gusts between 20 and 30 mph, and isolated gusts of 40 mph, starting in the mid-morning and tapering off later in the afternoon.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
The security line situation could be tapering off.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Players Era’s rapid expansion plans could be tapering off.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 29 Mar. 2026
Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 6 June 2026
For most movies, the opening weekend is the most lucrative, with ticket sales tapering off from there.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 31 May 2026
Overnight showers and thunderstorms are tapering off across the Kansas City metro, but forecasters say the bigger concern comes later Monday, when severe weather is likely, the National Weather Service said.
—Kansas City Star, 18 May 2026
Showers could linger into Wednesday night before gradually tapering off, with cooler air settling in and lows dropping into the 50s.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2026
There may be some consolation in the fact that some housing experts, like Cotality's chief economist, Selma Hepp, think that the recent period of skyrocketing housing costs may be tapering off.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
On Saturday, Ventura County could see wind gusts between 20 and 30 mph, and isolated gusts of 40 mph, starting in the mid-morning and tapering off later in the afternoon.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
The security line situation could be tapering off.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Players Era’s rapid expansion plans could be tapering off.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tapering off
Verb
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Others primarily improve quality of life, extend survival or delay complications without necessarily decreasing total lifetime healthcare expenditures.—
Jeffrey Wessler,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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Orbán hopes the Patriots for Europe will be a vehicle for transforming the EU to his vision, for example, by decreasing the bloc’s purview in matters of rule of law and democracy, taking a zero-tolerance approach to immigration and steering toward deeper cooperation with Russia and China.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The delay also would push the removal into the middle of the night, diminishing the audience watching the event in person or on TV.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
12 June 2026
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Once the scene resurfaced online some ten years later, internet users leveraged the phrase as a way to distinguish those who were musically superior (who had the range) and those who were not, diminishing them regardless of their popularity.—
Dr. Marcus Collins,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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If your garden is anything like mine, your poppies have petered out and your sages are subsiding.—
Pedro Moura,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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Breezy winds return on Tuesday after subsiding somewhat on Monday.—
Rachael Jay,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
Verb
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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
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On Wednesday, Mikel Arteta’s side face Bayer Leverkusen, who sit sixth in the Bundesliga after falling away since their famous unbeaten title-winning season in 2023-24.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Factors such as declining birth rates and families moving out of the city are contributing to declining enrollment at Denver Public Schools.—
Chierstin Roth,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
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While one in three students nationwide experienced chronic absenteeism during the 2021-2022 academic year, the rate is declining, from up to 30% to roughly 24% by the start of the past school year, according to estimates from the Return 2 Learn tracker reviewed by ABC News.—
Arthur Jones II,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Verb
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With little money and competitive standards falling, players started leaving Ghana earlier than before, and not always to go to Europe.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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Video of the incident shows Backs being confronted and falling backward.—
Joan Murray,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tapering off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tapering%20off. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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