toning (down)

verb

present participle of tone (down)
as in tapering (off)

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for toning (down)
  1. decreasing
  2. muffling
  3. blunting
  4. reducing
Verb
  • Her priorities include lowering costs by expanding Medicaid, fully funded pre-kindergarten and decreasing property taxes in a sustainable way.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Black representation is already decreasing at City Hall, a concern among some Black community leaders.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of decreasing
Verb
  • As the door swings closed on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, muffling the sounds of traffic, the nook of curiosities comes alive.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The actress wears a toasty-looking fur hat and sits cross-legged on the floor, the Canadian road traffic muffling her voice slightly.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of muffling
Verb
  • Alaska could either add to the Democrats' majority, or deliver some relief to Republicans by blunting additional Democratic gains.
    — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In theory, the clearinghouse would monitor the speed of AI growth without blunting the nation’s competitive advantage.
    — John Caruso, Hartford Courant, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of blunting
Verb
  • Arenberg Seltzer explained that the council's two main priorities are reducing the number of children in foster care and decreasing juvenile arrests.
    — Bri Buckley, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Fraser Shilling, director of the Road Ecology Center, and his team determined that extensive fencing on highways is the solution to reducing roadkill, not just wildlife crossings.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of reducing
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

toning
toning (down)
toning (up)
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Cite this Entry

“Toning (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toning%20%28down%29. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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