What does "taper" mean?
A slender wax candle.
Taper
/ˈteɪpə/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A slender wax candle.
- Grammar: taper is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: candle, abate, aculeate, acuminate.
- Useful contrasts: spatulate, bulge, electric light.
- Usage evidence: For three days after death hair and fingernails continue to grow but phone calls taper off.
How to use "taper"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "taper" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "taper" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "taper" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "taper" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "taper" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "candle" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "taper", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A slender wax candle.
"Strike on the Tinder, hoa: / Giue me a Taper: […]"
- 2 One who operates a tape machine.
- 3 stick of wax with a wick in the middle wordnet
- 4 A small light. broadly
- 5 Someone who works with tape or tapes.
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 a loosely woven cord (in a candle or oil lamp) that draws fuel by capillary action up into the flame wordnet
- 7 A tapering form; gradual diminution of thickness and/or cross section in an elongated object.
"the taper of a spire"
- 8 the property possessed by a shape that narrows toward a point (as a wedge or cone) wordnet
- 9 The portion of an object with such a form.
"ensuring the cleanliness of the taper of a machine tool spindle or of a tool shank"
- 10 a convex shape that narrows toward a point wordnet
- 11 Ellipsis of machine taper. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 12 A thin stick used for lighting candles, either a wax-coated wick or a slow-burning wooden rod.
- 13 A cone-shaped item for stretching the hole for an ear gauge (piercing).
- 14 Gradual reduction over time. figuratively
"a drug taper"
Verb
- 1 To make thinner or narrower at one end. transitive
"Though true cylinders without — within, the villainous green goggling glasses deceitfully tapered downwards to a cheating bottom."
- 2 diminish gradually wordnet
- 3 To become thinner or narrower at one end. intransitive
"Like other supertall towers, 432 Park relies on the counterweight system to address the forces of wind and reduce the feeling of swaying for residents. But unlike many other supertall towers that are tiered or taper toward the top, 432 Park is rectangular, making it less aerodynamic."
- 4 give a point to wordnet
- 5 To diminish gradually. ambitransitive
"Current major clinical practice guidelines provide little support for clinicians wishing to help patients discontinue or taper antidepressants in terms of mitigating and managing withdrawal symptoms."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To tighten monetary policy. intransitive
Adjective
- 1 Tapered; narrowing to a point.
Example
"For three days after death hair and fingernails continue to grow but phone calls taper off."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "taper"?
Common synonyms include: candle, abate, aculeate, acuminate, approach, barb.
How do you use "taper" in a sentence?
For three days after death hair and fingernails continue to grow but phone calls taper off.
How do you pronounce "taper"?
Pronounced /ˈteɪpə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English taper, from Old English tapor (“taper, candle, wick of a lamp”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Latin papyrus (“papyrus", used in Mediaeval times to mean "wick of a candle”). If so, it is a doublet of papyrus. Alternatively, of Celtic origin related to Irish tapar (“taper”), Welsh tampr (“a taper, torch”); further compare Sanskrit तपती (tápati, “(it) warms, gives out heat, is hot; (it) heats”). More at tepid.
Etymology 2
From tape + -er.