fizzle out
əl verb (used without object)
1.
to make a hissing or sputtering sound, especially one that dies out weakly.
2.
Informal. to fail ignominiously after a good start (often followed by out ): The reform movement fizzled out because of poor leadership.
noun
3.
a fizzling, hissing, or sputtering.
4.
Informal. a failure; fiasco.
Origin:
1525–35; earlier fysel to break wind, frequentative of *fise < Old Norse fīsa to break wind; akin to feist
1525–35; earlier fysel to break wind, frequentative of *fise < Old Norse fīsa to break wind; akin to feist
Synonyms
2. miscarry, collapse, founder.
2. miscarry, collapse, founder.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To fizzle out
00:10
Fizzle out
is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
fizzle (ˈfɪzəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to make a hissing or bubbling sound |
| 2. | informal ( |
| —n | |
| 3. | a hissing or bubbling sound; fizz |
| 4. | informal an outright failure; fiasco |
| [C16: probably from obsolete fist to break wind] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
fizzle
1530s, "to break wind without noise," probably altered from obsolete fist, from M.E. fisten "break wind" (see feisty). Related: Fizzled; fizzling. Noun sense of "failure, fiasco" is from 1846, originally U.S. college slang for "failure in an exam."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
fizzle definition[ˈfɪzlæ] |
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
fizzle out
Fail, end weakly, especially after a hopeful beginning. For example, The enthusiasm for reform has fizzled out in this state. The word fizzle dates from the early 1500s and meant "to break wind without making noise." Later it was applied to hissing noises, such as those made by wet fireworks, and then to any endeavor that ends in disappointment. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Nearby Words
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