as in decreased
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 tapered off
The 2025 event in Virginia helped bolster the coin's value for a time, but interest in the currency again tapered off.
—
Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
What initially felt like a meteoric rise tapered off into a slow burn.
—Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Light-bloom torture-test shots of colorful objects against completely black backgrounds also produced significant haze that tapered off gradually across the screen.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
While the series’ linear ratings have tapered off, something pretty common for serialized broadcast dramas, Memory of a Killer has become a staple on Hulu, which releases new episodes next day, regularly raking in the streamer’s Daily Top 10.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2026
That improvement tapered off, however, over the course of the last two weeks.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
But then construction tapered off, helping stabilize rent prices and occupancy rates.
—Lily O'Neill, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Apr. 2026
The analysis showed bacterial diversity recovered the fastest in the first two years after people took antibiotics; the rate of recovery tapered off after that point.
—Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
The questions about the interceptions have tapered off with his high schoolers.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
What initially felt like a meteoric rise tapered off into a slow burn.
—Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Light-bloom torture-test shots of colorful objects against completely black backgrounds also produced significant haze that tapered off gradually across the screen.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
While the series’ linear ratings have tapered off, something pretty common for serialized broadcast dramas, Memory of a Killer has become a staple on Hulu, which releases new episodes next day, regularly raking in the streamer’s Daily Top 10.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2026
That improvement tapered off, however, over the course of the last two weeks.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
But then construction tapered off, helping stabilize rent prices and occupancy rates.
—Lily O'Neill, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Apr. 2026
The analysis showed bacterial diversity recovered the fastest in the first two years after people took antibiotics; the rate of recovery tapered off after that point.
—Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
The questions about the interceptions have tapered off with his high schoolers.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tapered off
Verb
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Palestinian voter turnout has gradually decreased over the past elections.—
SAM METZ,
Arkansas Online,
26 Apr. 2026
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The issue has broad effects, affecting not just the victim but families, co-workers and community while harming mental and physical health, causing decreased productivity and decreasing one’s quality of life.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, Apple hasn’t followed its megacap peers in sinking tens of billions of dollars into building out AI infrastructure, which has diminished the stock’s correlation to the rest of the tech industry.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Still, the music flourished on terrestrial radio and music-video television, two venues for mass musical experiences whose power has diminished drastically in the streaming era.—
Jack Hamilton,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After the chaos subsided and guests were allowed back into the festival, Wilson’s performance was the set everyone needed to put the night back into place.—
Brian Blueskye,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
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And while the conflict in the Middle East temporarily warded off deflation, the gains have since subsided as Chinese industry continues to run below capacity, the chief economist for Asia Pacific at French bank Natixis argued.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But before he was felled at age 68 by a heart attack, Joiner had shared what was in the briefcase with the lead Louisiana State Police investigator on the case, Stefan Montgomery, Joiner's son and the LSP confirmed.—
Stephanie Gosk,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
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John Adams famously wrote to his wife, Abigail, that smallpox was killing 10 soldiers for every one felled in battle.—
Katrine L. Wallace,
The Conversation,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Three minutes into the flight, the booster switched off its engines and fell away from New Glenn’s upper stage, powered by two BE-3U engines burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 Apr. 2026
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Sooner or later, those fans and hands fell away, and the statues remained, growing less and less presentable.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tapered off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tapered%20off. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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