as in to decrease
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
at this time of the year, light begins to taper off a little earlier each day
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Recent Examples of taper off
The soggy weather is expected to continue through Tuesday with the heaviest downfalls tapering off by midday Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
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Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026
Widespread showers across the Bay Area on Wednesday are expected to taper off Thursday before light rain Friday morning heralds the arrival of an atmospheric river Friday afternoon.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
Snow in the central Rockies and Pacific Northwest is forecast to taper off, thoughsoutheastern New Mexico could see some accumulation Monday.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 28 Dec. 2025
As of Friday morning, the lab said the region had reached 79% of its median annual snowfall to date, with another 5 to 10 inches possible before the storm tapers off.
—Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taper off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taper off
Verb
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Newsom claims homelessness decline Newsom during his final State of the State address Thursday claimed the state’s homeless population decreased last year.—
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Meanwhile, the number of job openings have decreased nearly 10% on the year to 729,000 in the September to November period from a year ago, the ONS found.—
Verb
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Still seething after a sloppy 19-16 loss to the Detroit Lions, Johnson wasn’t hiding his dissatisfaction with a defeat that seemed to diminish his team’s momentum.—
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Kaufman moved there 30 years ago, and since that time the island’s community has diminished by degrees, its youth lured away by better employment prospects in Provo and overseas.—
Verb
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Mariners traversing the bar are urged to exercise extreme caution or stay in port until the threat subsides.—
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These findings have prompted the development of interventions designed to create time and space between an individual’s suicidal impulse and access to firearms, allowing acute urges to subside.—
Verb
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Trey Rose, 27, who was also arrested, met Samson Nacua at another location and got in the car, also not knowing the car belonged to someone else, according to a sheriff’s detective who declined to be named.—
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On Wednesday, a federal judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order to halt the operations.—
Verb
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Video of the moment posted on TikTok showed Malone raising his cup and leaning over, as the edge of the stage fell away during the Arizona show.—
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Shorter wavelengths fall away and reds and oranges remain.—
Verb
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The 1971 Vikings were the other team, and Minnesota wound up falling at home to Dallas in its initial playoff contest.—
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In witness footage shared by the police, the paraglider is seen falling from the sky with a faulty parachute and spiraling quickly towards the waters below, before smashing into the ocean in front of horrified beachgoers.—
Verb
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The Panthers will look to establish their run game to ease pressure on Bryce Young.—
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The review also supports earlier findings that gum chewing can ease stress, but only in certain situations.—
Cite this Entry
“Taper off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taper%20off. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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