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• fritz
  fritz

  verb phrase

  to become inoperable.
• Fritz
  Fritz

  noun

  a German, especially a German soldier.

fritz

¹ American  

[frits] / frɪts /

verb phrase

1. fritz out to become inoperable.

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idioms

1. on the fritz, not in working order.

   Our TV went on the fritz last night.

Fritz ² American  

[frits] / frɪts /

noun

1. Older Slang: Sometimes Offensive. a German, especially a German soldier.

2. a male given name.

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fritz More Idioms  

1. see on the blink (fritz).

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Sensitivity

Fritz was a nickname used by Allied soldiers for a German soldier during World War I and II.

Etymology

Origin of fritz¹

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; of obscure origin

Origin of Fritz²

1910–15; < German; common nickname for Friedrich

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fritz Fritz

Soldiers drenched T-shirts in ice water and draped them over antennas that were on the fritz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

But when Pína and Hawk arrive, their presence throws a wrench in a union that’s already on the fritz.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Don’t miss, for instance, a food replicator on the fritz, where holographic tea will consistently fail to properly materialize.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025

But like every machine I've ever owned, it goes on the fritz.

From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2023

His shirtsleeves are rolled up, which doesn’t solve much: the air-conditioning is on the fritz and the air on the plane is overheated.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Fritz started off on the right side, sprinted behind the line to the left and was wide open.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

Fritz purchased the property for $845,000 in March 2023.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

The box-office failure of “Digger” over the weekend shows how hard it remains for movie studios to pack theaters with original films in genres other than horror, Ben Fritz notes for the Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

"Vaccine hesitancy should not simply be understood as a lack of scientific knowledge among the public," Daniel Fritz Silvallana, a health communication researcher at Deakin University, Australia, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

So that meant, as long as Fritz was eating here—

From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen

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