taper
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
tapers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tapered,
past participle, past
-
tapering
present participle
-
to become smaller or thinner toward one end.
-
to grow gradually lean.
verb (used with object)
-
tapers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tapered,
past participle, past
-
tapering
present participle
-
to make gradually smaller toward one end.
-
to reduce gradually.
noun
-
gradual diminution of width or thickness in an elongated object.
-
gradual decrease of force, capacity, etc.
-
anything having a tapering form, as a spire or obelisk.
-
a candle, especially a very slender one.
-
a long wick coated with wax, tallow, or the like, as for use in lighting candles or gas.
verb phrase
noun
verb
-
to become or cause to become narrower towards one end
the spire tapers to a point
-
(often foll by off) to become or cause to become smaller or less significant
noun
-
a thin candle
-
a thin wooden or waxed strip for transferring a flame; spill
-
a narrowing
-
engineering (in conical parts) the amount of variation in the diameter per unit of length
-
any feeble source of light
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tapersimple
-
taperssimple
-
have taperedperfect
-
has taperedperfect
-
am taperingprogressive
-
are taperingprogressive
-
is taperingprogressive
-
have been taperingperfect progressive
-
has been taperingperfect progressive
Past
-
taperedsimple
-
had taperedperfect
-
was taperingprogressive
-
were taperingprogressive
-
had been taperingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
Wait, back up: Why did the fighting taper off?
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
Oxford estimates car sales will taper off soon and fall short of the 16 million mark in 2026, compared with 16.2 million new vehicles sold in 2025.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
As time went on, painting taper candles helped her find joy again, and others noticed too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Also, we would reassess if we see demand for AI services taper off.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
He’d gone out that day, through the melting snow, and bought a packet of taper candles from the corner store, and batteries to fit the flashlight.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
She started with hand-dipped tapers, working in the garage on the farm that helped her feel safe and connected to her parents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
TYG could be comparatively well positioned if the recent surge in oil prices tapers off, as futures markets suggest is probable.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
The conversation between Tisch and Epstein tapers off in the summer of 2014, the same year Tisch started publicly dating a Los Angeles-based designer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
The economy is likely to expand this year by an above-average rate of 2.8%, the IMF forecast, before growth tapers off to 2% in 2026.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2025
The audience chatter tapers off as the stage lights come up, and Student Council Maddie steps up to the microphone.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
Some have sent a detailed proposal to the department setting out a "tapered" alternative scheme.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
A private gauge showed China’s manufacturing activity grew at a slower pace in June due to tapered factory production, diverging from a pickup shown in a competing index.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
According to the simulations, this low-angle impact explains the basin's distinctive elongated and tapered shape.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026
With each stride, I squirmed deeper into the Florsheims’ tapered toes in a vain effort to spare my chafing heels.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
She spread her long, tapered wings and flew toward Oksi, rat in her talons.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
For decades, the city hosted several a year, but the practice began tapering off in the late 1960s.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
Some looked almost identical to the classic “toothpick grooves” of fossil humans, complete with fine parallel scratches and tapering shapes.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026
The company said demand for AI isn’t tapering off as hyperscalers transition from training AI to creating products with it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
Southern California’s mosquito season typically begins in early May, with the insect’s activity tapering off around October.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
With her beady eyes, sharp teeth, and tapering snout, she stood leaning on her hockey stick, right foot crossed over left: ankle.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
