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

More of those smart gags would have been welcome, but they peter out after half an hour or so.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 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

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

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026

It remains to be seen when the rally will peter out.

From Barron's ● Dec. 10, 2025

Finally, a good five minutes later when the conversation began to peter out, Isabelle turned her blue eyes on Dimple.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

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