crash and burn
idiom
US, informal
: to fail completely
The company crashed and burned after only two years in business.
Examples of crash and burn in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The crash and burn of a controversial contract to upgrade and operate the state’s highway plazas has given rise to calls for the state’s highway secretary to resign.
—
Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
The album’s emotional palette fluidly shifts between defiant bravado and glum recognition that the big dream was more than likely to crash and burn.
—Jesse Adams, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
That move has been additional fuel for those who have been waiting for Williams to crash and burn.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The documentary traces the untold story of soft rock, whose artists dominated pop music worldwide in the '70s, only to crash and burn in the '80s, while eventually experiencing one of the most unlikely comebacks in music history.
—Anne Easton, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crash and burn
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Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
The album’s emotional palette fluidly shifts between defiant bravado and glum recognition that the big dream was more than likely to crash and burn.
—Jesse Adams, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
That move has been additional fuel for those who have been waiting for Williams to crash and burn.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The documentary traces the untold story of soft rock, whose artists dominated pop music worldwide in the '70s, only to crash and burn in the '80s, while eventually experiencing one of the most unlikely comebacks in music history.
—Anne Easton, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crash and burn
Cite this Entry
“Crash and burn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crash%20and%20burn. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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