as in to decrease
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
you'll find the symptoms begin tapering gradually about 24 hours after you take the medicine
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Recent Examples of taper
For one, the wide legs taper down at the ankle, but only have elastic stretch on the back; this adds shape to the front of the pant legs with a sleek, barrel jean-esque silhouette.
—
Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 20 June 2025
Assets stand now at $6.67 trillion, though its curve has been tapering in recent months.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 18 June 2025
Even squid leave identifiable wounds: circular sucker marks tapering in size along the shark’s skin.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
There were little white triangles running down the reddish-brown side of its furry body, like insignia on the side of a warplane; all tapering down to a sharp end that looked like a stinger.
—Mark Gauert, Sun Sentinel, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for taper
Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 20 June 2025
Assets stand now at $6.67 trillion, though its curve has been tapering in recent months.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 18 June 2025
Even squid leave identifiable wounds: circular sucker marks tapering in size along the shark’s skin.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
There were little white triangles running down the reddish-brown side of its furry body, like insignia on the side of a warplane; all tapering down to a sharp end that looked like a stinger.
—Mark Gauert, Sun Sentinel, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for taper
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taper
Verb
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Revenue has remained relatively stagnant, decreasing slightly from $153 million to $152 million over the past year.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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Following Monday's trade, Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust will own 220 shares of GS, decreasing its weighting to about 4.35% from about 4.75%.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
7 July 2025
Verb
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The excitement over Tesla’s robotaxi launch is subsiding as fewer social media videos are posted.—
Christiaan Hetzner,
Fortune,
2 July 2025
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Investors have cheered as stocks have swiftly recovered to fresh highs and volatility has subsided.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
30 June 2025
Verb
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The best wrinkle creams on Amazon prove that drugstore prices don't diminish efficacy.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
8 July 2025
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The Commanders’ potential move back to D.C. would also pull the team out of Landover, further diminishing Maryland’s stake in professional sports and federal investments.—
Heather Hunter,
The Washington Examiner,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Even if paroled in Washington, California has active murder charges pending, Pack explained, working to ease concerns for those who are worried about public safety if he is paroled.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
9 July 2025
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The forum comes one day after Detroit City Council approved regulatory changes to ease the burdens of obtaining a business license in the city.—
Dana Afana,
Freep.com,
9 July 2025
Verb
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The good news is that the potential to compound one’s wealth grows by the day as the world shrinks by the day through commercial advances that reach greater and greater numbers of people.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
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Trump’s shift in focus underscores how tragedy can complicate political calculations, even though Trump has made slashing the federal workforce and dramatically shrinking the size of government centerpieces of his administration’s opening months.—
Sean Murphy,
Los Angeles Times,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Disney officials declined to comment on individual plans out of respect for all guests.—
Jasmine Mendez
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
12 July 2025
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Cal Fire officials declined to comment on whether either of the companies has had prior violations or enforcement actions, citing the active investigation.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
12 July 2025
Verb
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Partner that with another warning sign: A declining ratio of U.S. exports to imports while the U.S. deficit increases into record territory – like trade falling two months in a row, atypical since the former tends to remain steady even as the deficit increases.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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Ratner points to kindergarten vaccination rates, which have been falling nationwide for years and are currently at 92.7%.—
Maria Godoy,
NPR,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taper. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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