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taper off

Idioms  
  1. Become thinner or narrower at one end, as in The road began to taper off until it was just a narrow path . [c. 1600]

  2. Diminish or lessen gradually, end by degrees, as in The storm finally tapered off . [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.

Showers are expected to taper off by late Friday evening with dry and warmer weather returning through the middle of next week.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 25, 2025

Further Fed rate cuts to help support the labor market, however, are going to depend on whether inflation is about to taper off.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 17, 2025

The perk starts to taper off for joint filers with incomes from $300,000 to $550,000, or $150,000 and $400,000 for singles.

From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025

Most people can taper off an antidepressant in two weeks to two months.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

Slowly the rush would start to taper off and we’d wind down.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

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