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fizzle

[fiz-uhl]
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verb (used without object), fiz·zled, fiz·zling.

to make a hissing or sputtering sound, especially one that dies out weakly.
Informal. to fail ignominiously after a good start (often followed by out): The reform movement fizzled out because of poor leadership.

noun

a fizzling, hissing, or sputtering.
Informal. a failure; fiasco.

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RELATED WORDS

misfire, wane, abort, fail, fold, miscarry, end, die

Nearby words

  1. fixture,
  2. fizeau,
  3. fizgig,
  4. fizz,
  5. fizzer,
  6. fizzle out,
  7. fizzwater,
  8. fizzy,
  9. fj,
  10. fjeld

Origin of fizzle

1525–35; earlier fysel to break wind, frequentative of *fise < Old Norse fīsa to break wind; akin to feist
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fizzle

British Dictionary definitions for fizzle

fizzle

verb (intr)

to make a hissing or bubbling sound
(often foll by out) informal to fail or die out, esp after a promising start

noun

a hissing or bubbling sound; fizz
informal an outright failure; fiasco

Word Origin for fizzle

C16: probably from obsolete fist to break wind
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for fizzle

fizzle

v.

1530s, "to break wind without noise," probably altered from obsolete fist, from Middle English fisten "break wind" (see feisty) + frequentative suffix -le. Related: Fizzled; fizzling.

Noun sense of "failure, fiasco" is from 1846, originally U.S. college slang for "failure in an exam." Barnhart says it is "not considered as derived from the verb." The verb in this sense is from 1847.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper