peter out

Idioms  

1. Dwindle or diminish and come to an end, as in Their enthusiasm soon petered out. The origin of this usage is unknown, but one authority suggests it may refer to the apostle Peter, whose enthusiastic support of Jesus quickly diminished so that he denied knowing him three times during the night after Jesus's arrest. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

peter out

However, the rally appeared to peter out Thursday following a tech retreat on Wall Street and disappointing earnings from US giants SanDisk and Western Digital that revived concerns over the profitability of the AI investments.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

While most experts are predicting this hantavirus outbreak will peter out, it’s not the kind of prediction you want to be wrong about either.

From Salon ● May 11, 2026

Economists predict the current wave of inflation is likely to peter out later in the year, but they are uncertain as to when and by how much.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 15, 2026

The game at that stage looked like it was going to peter out to a 0-0 draw.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026

He looked in the other direction and saw people bunched up to his left, and they began to peter out closer to 8th Street.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Related Words

• abate
• die out
• ebb
• evaporate
• fade
• recede
• tail away
• tail off
• wane