fizzle
Americanverb (used without object)
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.
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:
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
"When that happens, triplets easily fizzle out before they ever meet. Molecules must be close enough for energy to transfer but separated enough to prevent quenching of excitons."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
“It is perfectly possible that the indirect effects only feed through once and then fizzle out later.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
When the relationships fizzle, when the job sucks, when things don’t work out the way you plan, you know they’re always there for you.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
A critical mass would not be achieved, and the bomb would fizzle.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
If you consider Corvettes’ year-over-year price increases and steep depreciation curves, the bang-for-the-buck argument kind of fizzles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
A star quarterback fizzles, a new hire doesn’t work out—and so it’s back to the basics.
From Barron's ● Dec. 12, 2025
Such instincts to keep young people away from the criminal justice system are deep-rooted in policing - perhaps in the hope antisocial behaviour fizzles out.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2025
Whether Sunday proves to be a momentum-builder — or just another flash of promise that once again fizzles — remains to be seen as they enter September.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2025
In fact, within the thermonuclear research community, Livermore’s reputation was marred by the almost comic fizzles of the first devices it readied for testing.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
She realized the need for a video version after one job application fizzled: Thompson declined a potential employer’s request for an AI-powered interview, which was labeled a “vibe check.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
But the American dream of winning the tournament for the first time fizzled out in shambolic fashion in the early hours of Tuesday morning with a hugely disappointing defeat by Belgium.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
What started off as a trailblazing music partnership between música mexicana band Fuerza Regida and L.A. label Rancho Humilde has now fizzled into a sticky online drama.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Fossil-fuel companies saw their share prices explode, while stock and bond markets fizzled.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
I updated her on what was happening—and that I might not be on ATO tonight if the power didn’t come back soon—and watched as sparks fell and fizzled to death in the slush.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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
Briefly, Bailey Zappe, one of his backups, stirred up optimism before fizzling out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
Recent fears about the AI trade fizzling had led investors to rotate out of recent winners and into some more defensive sectors — though not all.
From Barron's ● Nov. 19, 2025
The idea was in danger of fizzling before it could explode.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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.
