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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.

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 • Mar. 24, 2026

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

From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026

“There may be a huge boost to tourists when the film is released or immediately after its release, and then that can tail off quite quickly,” he explains.

From BBC • Oct. 27, 2024

“I’ve been working my tail off just to get to this point and working my tail off for the points after.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2024

He lifted his tail off the ground and held it at an angle and marched in time to the music the minstrels were playing on their guitars.

From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo

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.