taper

¹ American  

[tey-per] / ˈteɪ pər /

noun

1. a person who records or edits magnetic tape, videotape, etc.

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taper ² American  

[tey-per] / ˈteɪ pər /

verb (used without object)

1. to become smaller or thinner toward one end.

2. to grow gradually lean.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make gradually smaller toward one end.

2. to reduce gradually.

noun

1. gradual diminution of width or thickness in an elongated object.

2. gradual decrease of force, capacity, etc.

3. anything having a tapering form, as a spire or obelisk.

4. a candle, especially a very slender one.

5. a long wick coated with wax, tallow, or the like, as for use in lighting candles or gas.

verb phrase

1. taper off

   1. to become gradually more slender toward one end.

   2. to cease by degrees; decrease; diminish.

      The storm is beginning to taper off now.

      I haven't stopped smoking entirely, but I'm tapering off to three cigarettes a day.

taper British  

/ ˈteɪpə /

verb

1. to become or cause to become narrower towards one end

   the spire tapers to a point

2. (often foll by off) to become or cause to become smaller or less significant

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noun

1. a thin candle

2. a thin wooden or waxed strip for transferring a flame; spill

3. a narrowing

4. engineering (in conical parts) the amount of variation in the diameter per unit of length

5. any feeble source of light

Other Word Forms

• taperer noun
• tapering adjective
• taperingly adverb
• untapering adjective

Etymology

Origin of taper¹

First recorded in 1980–85; tape + -er ¹

Origin of taper¹

First recorded before 900; from Middle English: “wax candle,” from Old English, variant of tapur, dissimilated variant of unattested papur paper

Example Sentences

Inflation has tapered to 1.7% annually, which may impel the European Central Bank to cut interest rates below their current 2%.

From Barron's

The tooth, which was wide at the base, tapered to a wicked point.

From Literature

Share prices climbed a median 2% a month after the insider purchases, but their recoveries tended to taper off after that.

From The Wall Street Journal

Then, as fishing and farming seasons tapered off, many ventured upstream to find seasonal work along the wider stretches of the river.

From Literature

Kentucky and Oklahoma are tapering their rates to zero.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• abate
• dwindle
• lessen
• recede
• subside