damp squib
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of damp squib
First recorded in 1965–70
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.
Guardiola's 100th Champions League match as City boss was a damp squib, in stark contrast to so many of the previous 99, which includes 62 wins and the club's maiden European crown in 2023.
From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025
But the much-anticipated showdown between two Heisman-candidate quarterbacks and national championship-quality teams had been a damp squib over the first two quarters.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 28, 2025
Plaid Cymru previously called the report a "damp squib".
From BBC • Mar. 17, 2024
The only worry left is that it might be a damp squib.
From Reuters • Aug. 26, 2022
Our artillery put salvoes at once upon those trenches; and the raid of that night proved a damp squib.
From With the British Army in The Holy Land by Lock, H. O. (Henry Osmond)
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.
