Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1800-1900
Origin: Origin unknown

peter

 verb
     
pe‧ter

peter out

phrasal verb
to gradually become smaller, less, weaker etc and then come to an end:
The road became narrower and eventually petered out.
Public interest in the environment is in danger of petering out.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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