taper off
Idioms-
Become thinner or narrower at one end, as in The road began to taper off until it was just a narrow path . [c. 1600]
-
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.
Southern California’s mosquito season typically begins in early May, with the insect’s activity tapering off around October.
From Los Angeles Times
For now, though, the prospect of diplomatic negotiations appears to have tapered off the threat of an imminent military spat between the two countries.
From Barron's
“Steady precipitation will taper off to showers by late this afternoon and become confined to the mountains by late tonight,” the weather service posted in a Thursday morning forecast.
From Los Angeles Times
These claims had risen steadily for several years and almost reached a post-pandemic high of 2 million last fall, but they have since tapered off.
From MarketWatch
The rain is expected to continue on and off across the Southland before tapering off in the afternoon, according to a Weather Service forecast.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
