phasedown

1 of 2

noun

phase·​down ˈfāz-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce phasedown (audio)
: a gradual reduction (as in operations or size) : a slowing down by phases

phase down

2 of 2

verb

phased down; phasing down; phases down

transitive verb

: to reduce the size or amount of by phases
phase down the program

intransitive verb

: to undergo reduction by phases

Examples of phasedown in a Sentence

Verb tourism along the coast phases down after Labor Day
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Democratic lawmakers have argued the Interior Department’s review of the leasing program is an opportunity for targeted reforms, whereas some left-wing environmentalists have argued the review should lead to a phasedown of the leasing program altogether. Abby Smith, Washington Examiner, 24 Mar. 2021 Environmental advocates are touting the $2.3 trillion bill as a potential game changer thanks to tax breaks for renewable energy sources, initiatives to promote carbon capture storage and a significant phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that are a key culprit to the planet's warming. Ledyard King, USA TODAY, 28 Dec. 2020 Partly to keep peace with the military establishment and win its support for a phasedown of troops after the surge, Obama largely accepted the recommendation to send tens of thousands of troops to Afghanistan. David Axelrod, CNN, 18 Oct. 2021 Once fully implemented, scientists have said such an HFC phasedown would avoid 0.5 degrees Celsius of warming. Abby Smith, Washington Examiner, 3 May 2021 Over the next 15 years, the HFC phasedown would reduce 900 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, more than the total annual emissions of Germany, Rhodium says. Abby Smith, Washington Examiner, 22 Dec. 2020 Wetstone, like many other clean energy advocates, is calling on Congress to temporarily allow clean energy companies to redeem tax credits as cash payments and to put off the phasedown of renewable energy tax credits. Abby Smith, Washington Examiner, 16 June 2020
Verb
The deal does not require countries to phase out or phase down the use of fossil fuels. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023 Recommended Gratitude The transforming power of a thank-you note This weekend, John Kerry, U.S. climate envoy, said the Biden administration would commit to not build any new coal plants and to phase down existing coal operations. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2023 The capacity to burn coal for power went up in 2022 despite global promises to phase down the fuel that’s the biggest source of planet-warming gases in the atmosphere, a report Wednesday found. Sibi Arasu, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2023 The fundamental issue determining the speed of China’s coal phase down is the government’s approach to spurring growth and its ability to move away from smokestack industries, said Jorrit Gosens, a scholar at Australian National University, lead author of the paper. Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2022 Getting China to phase down its coal remains one of the biggest US goals in climate talks, Kerry said. Nectar Gan, CNN, 19 July 2023 The regulations governing power plants come on the heels of other Biden administration plans to cut tailpipe emissions by speeding up the country’s transition to electric vehicles, to curb methane leaks from oil and gas wells, and to phase down the use of a planet-warming chemical in refrigerants. Coral Davenport, BostonGlobe.com, 11 May 2023 The regulations governing power plants come on the heels of other Biden administration plans to cut tailpipe emissions by speeding up the country’s transition to electric vehicles, to curb methane leaks from oil and gas wells and to phase down the use of a planet-warming chemical in refrigerants. Coral Davenport, New York Times, 11 May 2023 As of April 1, 2023, that additional funding will phase down, and states will begin to renew people’s Medicaid coverage, and connecting those no longer eligible for Medicaid to other sources of coverage. Rhett Buttle, Forbes, 4 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'phasedown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1958, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1970, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of phasedown was in 1958

Dictionary Entries Near phasedown

phase down

phasedown

phase in

Cite this Entry

“Phasedown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phasedown. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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