fizzle
Americanverb (used without object)
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fizzles,
present (3rd person singular)
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fizzled,
past participle, past
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fizzling
present participle
noun
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a fizzling, hissing, or sputtering.
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Informal. a failure; fiasco.
verb
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to make a hissing or bubbling sound
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informal (often foll by out) to fail or die out, esp after a promising start
noun
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a hissing or bubbling sound; fizz
-
informal an outright failure; fiasco
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fizzlesimple
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fizzlessimple
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have fizzledperfect
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has fizzledperfect
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am fizzlingprogressive
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are fizzlingprogressive
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is fizzlingprogressive
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have been fizzlingperfect progressive
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has been fizzlingperfect progressive
Past
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fizzledsimple
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had fizzledperfect
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was fizzlingprogressive
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were fizzlingprogressive
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had been fizzlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fizzle
1525–35; earlier fysel to break wind, frequentative of *fise < Old Norse fīsa to break wind; akin to feist
Explanation
When something fizzles, it ends in a slow, sad way. Your bake sale may get off to a great start, only to fizzle once you've sold all the brownies and are left with nothing but oatmeal raisin cookies. The word fizzle has two uses — first, for talking about a failure or disappointment. Your party is a fizzle if no one shows up, and your cheerfulness is bound to fizzle after an experience like that. The second meaning is a hissing or sputtering sound, just like the word itself sounds — like the fizzle of a backyard firework or the fizzle of static on the radio as you switch stations.
Vocabulary lists containing fizzle
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.
See Examples For:
But as the movie awkwardly pivots to weighty themes like forgiveness, honor and grief, the initial sparks of subversiveness fizzle out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
By 2017 profit began to fizzle and then fell into losses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
While several industry experts told MarketWatch that controversies over advertisements tend to fizzle out in the medium term, there’s always a chance that damage to its brand could linger.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
As the fronts push south, they may fizzle out, meaning little or no rainfall for the places that need it most, in the south and east.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The power might fizzle when the wind blew hard and leave them all in darkness.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
If the boomer boom fizzles, you still own one of the world’s largest diversified pharmaceutical companies.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
Researchers believe the shock "fizzles" after reaching the outer boundary of a bubble created by gas that the doomed star had previously expelled.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
But that conflict quickly fizzles as both parents become acquainted with this robot, whose memories only extend to the information the couple provided.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Those sailors who remain are trying to stay sane as their cell service fizzles in and out, compromising attempts to reach their family, employers and governments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
I jog back toward the gravel road, phone pressed to my ear, and as soon as I’m through the archway, the static fizzles away.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
After his triumph in Beijing, which ensured he would win at least one title for the 21st year in a row, Djokovic's season has rather fizzled out.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
The data suggests that home-buying demand has fizzled out.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
As hopes to revive it fizzled, enthusiasm to turn the corridor into a long-distance trail climbed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
A yearslong boom in Chinese demand has fizzled, and the West’s aspirational middle classes, vital to brands like Louis Vuitton, are increasingly squeezed by price inflation, damping their confidence to splurge on high-end goods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
As the vision fizzled and blurred, the last thing they saw was Thorn’s hand, grabbing on to something made of gold and throwing it onto the floor.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
However, the decline showed signs of fizzling out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Hopes for a deal run high before fizzling, so markets have been reluctant to discount longer-lasting disruptions, Morgan Stanley analysts said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
Sunderland's form has dropped off in the past few weeks and it does look like they are fizzling out, but the question is whether Newcastle can find the energy to see them off.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
Like their manager, the club's supporters will hope for action in the forthcoming transfer window to prevent a positive start to the season from fizzling out.
From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2025
And the anger, it’s fizzling away, bubbles in soda, gone.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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