damp squib
noun
British
: something that is disappointing because it is not as exciting or effective as expected
The company's stock turned out to be something of a damp squib.
Examples of damp squib in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While the overall business had a banner year, that damp squib of an announcement seemed to sum up the entire gaming misadventure.
—
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 28 Dec. 2025
Twenty five years on from that sorry, damp squib of a farewell against Germany, the old Wembley, and all its maddening idiosyncrasies, is still very much missed.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Monday’s damp squib in Burnley did not help the narrative.
—Beren Cross, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
The contrast between this damp squib of an evening and their respective first jobs back in 2014 couldn’t be more stark.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
This political backdrop raises the possibility that his low-energy announcement speech may be a damp squib.
—The Editors, National Review, 15 Nov. 2022
People have always made overblown promises for AI, which have inevitably ended in a damp squib.
—Ravi Mayuram, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2022
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.
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 28 Dec. 2025
Twenty five years on from that sorry, damp squib of a farewell against Germany, the old Wembley, and all its maddening idiosyncrasies, is still very much missed.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Monday’s damp squib in Burnley did not help the narrative.
—Beren Cross, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
The contrast between this damp squib of an evening and their respective first jobs back in 2014 couldn’t be more stark.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
This political backdrop raises the possibility that his low-energy announcement speech may be a damp squib.
—The Editors, National Review, 15 Nov. 2022
People have always made overblown promises for AI, which have inevitably ended in a damp squib.
—Ravi Mayuram, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Damp squib.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damp%20squib. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share