tail off
To dwindle, diminish, or fade away; to become fainter or weaker. His campaign started really strong, but public support for the candidate tailed off following a series of scandals. The lights on the car began tailing off into the blackness of the night, leaving me alone in the empty field. He started talking about the tax code, but he tailed off when he realized no one was listening.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
tail off
to dwindle to nothing. The number of people filing for unemployment insurance is beginning to tail off. As the storms tailed off, we began to realize how much damage had been done.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
tail off
Also, tail away. Diminish gradually, subside, as in The fireworks tailed off into darkness. [Mid-1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.