Definitions

peter

[pee-ter] / ˈpi tər /

VERB

decrease

Synonyms

STRONG

check contract curb decay decline degenerate drain droop drop ease ebb fade lower quiet rebate settle shrink sink slash slump taper wane waste

WEAK

abate calm down crumble curtail cut down depreciate deteriorate devaluate die down diminish drop off dry up dwindle evaporate fall off lessen let up lighten lose edge modify narrow down peter out quell reduce restrain run low shrivel slack off slacken slow down soften subside tail away tail off weaken wear away wear down wither

Antonyms

STRONG

aid ascend assist build develop enlarge expand go up grow help improve increase pour raise rise strengthen stretch

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.

Those reports are starting to peter out now, but they could still move markets.

From Barron's • May 11, 2026

While most experts are predicting this hantavirus outbreak will peter out, it’s not the kind of prediction you want to be wrong about either.

From Salon • May 11, 2026

On 12 November, Mandelson received an email with the subject "Paris" which read: "Hi peter, Valdson, Jeffrey's driver, will be picking you up today from the train station... see you this evening!"

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

A counterfrontier runs from the lower right to the upper left, beyond which the Danish place names left by the Vikings peter out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

Finally, a good five minutes later when the conversation began to peter out, Isabelle turned her blue eyes on Dimple.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

peter

Example Sentences

Related Words