tail off — gradually decrease (amount, strength, activity, or voice)
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
to become smaller, weaker, or less active in a slow and steady way, often until it stops completely
Say it like a native
Textbook Sales diminished progressively towards the year's end.
Native Sales tailed off towards the end of the year.
'Tail off' is the natural verb for a slow fade; 'diminished progressively' is formal.
Pattern: tail off (intransitive); tail off + (to/into + noun/number); tail off + (until/until + clause)
In use
- Attendance at the evening lectures usually tails off towards the end of the semester.work
- At first, the number of applicants was high, but interest tailed off as the deadline approached.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ His voice tailed off down.
✓ His voice tailed off.
'Tail off' already means fade away — don't add 'down'.
Common collocations
tail off + decline— towards the end, gradually, into silence, after summer
Don't confuse it
Unlike the basic verbs 'fall' or 'drop', 'tail off' emphasizes a gradual, often gentle reduction, not a sharp or sudden one.