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Synonyms

tail off

British  

verb

  1. (adverb, usually intr) to decrease or cause to decrease in quantity, degree, etc, esp gradually

    his interest in collecting stamps tailed off over the years
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
tail off Idioms  

  1. Also, tail away. Diminish gradually, subside, as in The fireworks tailed off into darkness. [Mid-1800s]

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.

“And he’s worked his tail off, he really has. Every single day, he’s putting in work and he just keeps getting better — his jumps, his lines to the ball, and obviously the arm strength is there.”

From Los Angeles Times

My parents told me that was possible, but only if I made sacrifices, worked my tail off and dedicated everything I had to it.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Well, did you know,” said Mr. Grayson, “that if you lift a kangaroo’s tail off the ground, it can’t hop?”

From Literature

Hadn’t I worked my tail off for him all morning?

From Literature

"He'll rehab his tail off and get back to being healthy," Payton predicted.

From Barron's

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.