taper
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to become smaller or thinner toward one end.
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to grow gradually lean.
verb (used with object)
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to make gradually smaller toward one end.
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to reduce gradually.
noun
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gradual diminution of width or thickness in an elongated object.
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gradual decrease of force, capacity, etc.
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anything having a tapering form, as a spire or obelisk.
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a candle, especially a very slender one.
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a long wick coated with wax, tallow, or the like, as for use in lighting candles or gas.
verb phrase
noun
verb
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to become or cause to become narrower towards one end
the spire tapers to a point
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(often foll by off) to become or cause to become smaller or less significant
noun
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a thin candle
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a thin wooden or waxed strip for transferring a flame; spill
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a narrowing
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engineering (in conical parts) the amount of variation in the diameter per unit of length
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any feeble source of light
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tapersimple
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taperssimple
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have taperedperfect
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has taperedperfect
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am taperingprogressive
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are taperingprogressive
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is taperingprogressive
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have been taperingperfect progressive
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has been taperingperfect progressive
Past
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taperedsimple
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had taperedperfect
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was taperingprogressive
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were taperingprogressive
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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:
“I feel like my son is channeling through this medium,” Saleh said, her voice breaking as she painted a taper.
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
The overall rate of inflation tends to slow down once oil prices taper off.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
He wants to taper down his arena tours and hopes Nateland will switch up the transaction, with audiences coming to him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 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
“The real test is what happens after Labor Day, when leisure demand tapers and airlines adjust fall capacity for a lower-fuel environment,” Cunningham wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 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 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
Contrary to earlier assumptions that the asteroid came from the south, their analysis shows the SPA basin tapers toward the south, meaning the asteroid likely arrived from the north.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2025
In winter, tapers burn in the windows of homes after dark.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Tiny, tapered holes in this long-sleeve shirt channel air onto the skin, with larger cutouts in high-sweat spots to keep the shirt light and chafe-free.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The study "A southward differentiated impactor forms the tapered shape of the South Pole-Aitken impact basin on the Moon" was published in Science Advances.
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
“The real test will come in May, by which point the flow of tax refunds will have tapered off significantly, while high gas prices probably will remain elevated,” Tombs writes.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
As the sound of the wind tapered off, a ferocious roar echoed across the yard.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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 faces weaker Internet-of-Things revenue growth due to tapering subsidies, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
Flood had previously warned that CTA buying was tapering off.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026
He was a sad, birdlike man with the spatulate face and scrubbed, tapering features of a well-groomed rat.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
