fizzle
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
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a fizzling, hissing, or sputtering.
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Informal. a failure; fiasco.
verb
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to make a hissing or bubbling sound
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informal (often foll by out) to fail or die out, esp after a promising start
noun
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a hissing or bubbling sound; fizz
-
informal an outright failure; fiasco
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fizzlesimple
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fizzlessimple
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have fizzledperfect
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has fizzledperfect
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am fizzlingprogressive
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are fizzlingprogressive
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is fizzlingprogressive
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have been fizzlingperfect progressive
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has been fizzlingperfect progressive
Past
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fizzledsimple
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had fizzledperfect
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was fizzlingprogressive
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were fizzlingprogressive
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had been fizzlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fizzle
1525–35; earlier fysel to break wind, frequentative of *fise < Old Norse fīsa to break wind; akin to feist
Explanation
When something fizzles, it ends in a slow, sad way. Your bake sale may get off to a great start, only to fizzle once you've sold all the brownies and are left with nothing but oatmeal raisin cookies. The word fizzle has two uses — first, for talking about a failure or disappointment. Your party is a fizzle if no one shows up, and your cheerfulness is bound to fizzle after an experience like that. The second meaning is a hissing or sputtering sound, just like the word itself sounds — like the fizzle of a backyard firework or the fizzle of static on the radio as you switch stations.
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.
See Examples For:
"When that happens, triplets easily fizzle out before they ever meet. Molecules must be close enough for energy to transfer but separated enough to prevent quenching of excitons."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
When the relationships fizzle, when the job sucks, when things don’t work out the way you plan, you know they’re always there for you.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
Cue “Lyin’ Eyes” External link by the Eagles: investors who’ve seen past memory booms fizzle are wary about this one.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
They simply can't afford to let their domestic season fizzle out, not when there is a Tyne-Wear derby to come at St James' Park.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
They did little but pop and fizzle and stink.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Those sailors who remain are trying to stay sane as their cell service fizzles in and out, compromising attempts to reach their family, employers and governments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
And then, of course, there’s the risk the AI bubble fizzles and utilities are left with too much capacity.
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
If you consider Corvettes’ year-over-year price increases and steep depreciation curves, the bang-for-the-buck argument kind of fizzles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
Her romance fizzles, but a passion is born: She’ll now explore cemeteries around the globe, musing on the tales they tell, the cultures they mirror.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025
The pain was starting to go away, like a humongous wave that crashes with a lot of noise and spray but then slowly fizzles away into nothing.
From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies
But the American dream of winning the tournament for the first time fizzled out in shambolic fashion in the early hours of Tuesday morning with a hugely disappointing defeat by Belgium.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
What started off as a trailblazing music partnership between música mexicana band Fuerza Regida and L.A. label Rancho Humilde has now fizzled into a sticky online drama.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
That fizzled in the midst of a standoff between then-U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Although shares rose as much as 19% in their debut, those gains quickly fizzled, and the stock closed up less than a percent.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
Hallowe’en had fizzled out, what with Charlie’s hand keeping us from mischief.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Hopes for a deal run high before fizzling, so markets have been reluctant to discount longer-lasting disruptions, Morgan Stanley analysts said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
The rebound in software stocks appeared to be fizzling out as Wall Street pivoted back toward the chip and server makers that have helped power the market to all-time highs in recent months.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
That’s the funky mood in Boston, where the Red Sox are once again sideways and fizzling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
Briefly, Bailey Zappe, one of his backups, stirred up optimism before fizzling out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
The idea was in danger of fizzling before it could explode.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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.
