jump the shark
Americanidiom
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.
For theme parks, after all, can jump the shark, so to speak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
“We want to jump the shark on this and invent a new technology,” says Heidi Hammel, vice president for science with the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, which manages publicly funded U.S. observatories.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 19, 2024
I often wonder if it's too much, or if he'll ever jump the shark with his raccoon-hunting stories, his wedding advice or his thoughts on the game of golf.
From Golf Digest ● Jul. 18, 2019
It will come to you, because your stomach, your instinct knows more than your head. … and don't jump the shark?
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2011
The term "jump the shark" was even coined about the series-destroying episode of Happy Days in which the characters go on holiday and Fonzie water-skis over a shark.
From The Guardian ● May 23, 2010
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.
