on the fritz
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
If your cell phone, for instance, landed on Venus, the thermal energy would set off a flurry of electrons and send your device on the fritz.
From Scientific American • Oct. 23, 2023
My AC was on the fritz recently and just the thought of having to pay for a new one caused terrible anxiety, even though I know that’s what savings is for!
From Slate • Sep. 22, 2023
“I’m so sorry. We have an elevator in the back, but it went on the fritz this afternoon. The technician is coming to fix it first thing in the morning.”
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
