taper

[ tey-per ]

/ ˈteɪ pər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR taper ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to become smaller or thinner toward one end.

to grow gradually lean.

verb (used with object)

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 Phrases

taper off,

to become gradually more slender toward one end.
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.

Nearby words

Origin of taper

before 900; Middle English: wax candle, Old English, variant of tapur, dissimilated variant of *papur paper

Related formsta·per·er, nounta·per·ing·ly, adverbun·ta·pered, adjectiveun·ta·per·ing, adjective

Can be confusedtaper tapir

Definition for taper (2 of 2)

taper

[ tey-per ]

/ ˈteɪ pər /

noun

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

Origin of taper

tape + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for taper

After that time, it is my hope that things will taper off a bit.
Alex Haley’s 1965 Playboy Interview with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.|Alex Haley|January 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Markets would have to defend against the possibility of a strong report reigniting October taper expectations.
Government Shutdown Could Slow Housing Recovery|CNBC|October 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This is the dreaded “taper” that has lately given stock markets nausea.
Bernanke Hints at Fed Exit, but Don’t Expect Big Name to Succeed Him|Daniel Gross|June 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The massive earth walls are three stories high and taper toward the top.
What's Better: Cell Phones or Indoor Toilets?|Megan McArdle|January 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST

All lesser interests had dwindled and grown poor; her life seemed flickering out like a taper in the breeze.
Country Neighbors|Alice Brown
In one chamber there was a girl who took a love-letter from her pillow and read it in tears, by the light of a taper.
Japanese Fairy Tales|Grace James
They gradually become narrower fore and aft, and taper upwards.
The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe|Ernest Young
They taper to a point and have edges that are smooth all round.
Flowers Shown to the Children|C. E. Smith
He lighted the taper of a tiny lamp that burnt before an image of the Mother of Sorrows in a niche.
Under the Witches' Moon|Nathan Gallizier

British Dictionary definitions for taper

taper

/ (ˈteɪpə) /

verb

to become or cause to become narrower towards one endthe 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

Derived Formstaperer, nountapering, adjectivetaperingly, adverb

Word Origin for taper

Old English tapor, probably from Latin papӯrus papyrus (from its use as a wick)

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

Word Origin and History for taper (1 of 2)

taper

Old English tapur, taper "candle," not found outside English, possibly a dissimilated borrowing from Latin papyrus (see papyrus), which was used in Medieval Latin and some Romance languages for "wick of a candle" (e.g. Italian papijo "wick"), because these often were made from the pith of papyrus. Cf. also German kerze "candle," from Old High German charza, from Latin charta, from Greek khartes "papyrus, roll made from papyrus, wick made from pith of papyrus."

Word Origin and History for taper (1 of 2)

taper

"shoot up like a flame or spire," 1580s, from taper (n.). Sense of "gradually decrease in size, force, etc." first recorded c.1600. Related: Tapered; tapering.

taper

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Verb Phrases

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of taper

Definition for taper (2 of 2)

taper

noun

Origin of taper

Examples from the Web for taper

British Dictionary definitions for taper

taper

verb

noun

Word Origin for taper

Word Origin and History for taper (1 of 2)

taper

Word Origin and History for taper (1 of 2)

taper