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Synonyms

fizzle out

Idioms  

  1. Fail, end weakly, especially after a hopeful beginning. For example, The enthusiasm for reform has fizzled out in this state. The word fizzle dates from the early 1500s and meant “to break wind without making noise.” Later it was applied to hissing noises, such as those made by wet fireworks, and then to any endeavor that ends in disappointment. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]

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.

Murray, who moved back home to the Borders during the pandemic said: "My career was fizzling out so this was sort of me giving something back to the area I'm from."

From BBC

Briefly, Bailey Zappe, one of his backups, stirred up optimism before fizzling out.

From The Wall Street Journal

Like their manager, the club's supporters will hope for action in the forthcoming transfer window to prevent a positive start to the season from fizzling out.

From BBC

I see the light of one of Ama’s Adinkra symbols, but it quickly fizzles out when she trips on one of the vines.

From Literature

The final act avoids sports-movie clichés, which is another way of saying that things simply fizzle out unsatisfyingly.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.