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
Those persons closest to the crash and burn, for instance, could receive north of $70,000 per person.
—
Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 5 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
Time will tell if Antigravity manages to take off, or if the brand is destined to crash and burn.
—PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2025
Read on for how to watch Celebs Go Dating in the US online for free to see which celebrities find their perfect match and which ones crash and burn in famous fashion.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crash and burn
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 5 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
Time will tell if Antigravity manages to take off, or if the brand is destined to crash and burn.
—PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2025
Read on for how to watch Celebs Go Dating in the US online for free to see which celebrities find their perfect match and which ones crash and burn in famous fashion.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 11 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 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share