taper
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to become smaller or thinner toward one end.
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to grow gradually lean.
verb (used with object)
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to make gradually smaller toward one end.
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to reduce gradually.
noun
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gradual diminution of width or thickness in an elongated object.
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gradual decrease of force, capacity, etc.
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anything having a tapering form, as a spire or obelisk.
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a candle, especially a very slender one.
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a long wick coated with wax, tallow, or the like, as for use in lighting candles or gas.
verb phrase
noun
verb
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to become or cause to become narrower towards one end
the spire tapers to a point
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(often foll by off) to become or cause to become smaller or less significant
noun
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a thin candle
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a thin wooden or waxed strip for transferring a flame; spill
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a narrowing
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engineering (in conical parts) the amount of variation in the diameter per unit of length
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any feeble source of light
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has taperedperfect 3rd person singular
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have taperedperfect
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has been taperingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am taperingprogressive 1st person singular
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are taperingprogressive
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is taperingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been taperingperfect progressive
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taperingparticiple
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taperssingular 3rd person
Past
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had taperedperfect
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were taperingprogressive plural
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was taperingprogressive singular
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had been taperingperfect progressive
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taperedsimple
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taperedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of taper1
First recorded before 900; from Middle English: “wax candle,” from Old English, variant of tapur, dissimilated variant of unattested papur paper
Origin of taper2
Explanation
To taper is to gradually grow smaller or more narrow or less intense. Taper is often used with the word "off." Part of the power of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is how the two walls appear to taper off into infinity. As a verb, taper can refer not just to physical objects that narrow: the weather forecast might call for heavy snow that will taper off at the end of the day, and public interest in a political scandal might taper off over time. As a noun, taper refers to a shape that narrows at one end, and it's also another word for a candle that is smaller at one end than the other. "Narrow candle" is the original meaning of the word, and it seems to derive from the Latin papyrus, which was once used to make candle wicks.
Vocabulary lists containing taper
It's Lit: Hanukkah Words
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List 7
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Hatchet
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“But the flow of refunds will taper dramatically in May, leaving consumers far more exposed to the surge in fuel costs,” Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, told clients Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
But that spending will see £126m drawn down from reserves, as part of the new five-year strategy that will see that figure taper to £35.8m in the 2030-31 financial year.
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026
The 12-month core rate could also taper to 2.5% from 2.6%, estimates show.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 9, 2026
The 12-month core rate could also taper to 2.5% from 2.6%, estimates show.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 9, 2026
Their voices taper off as they move farther into the house.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
