fiasco

1 of 2

noun (1)

fi·​as·​co fē-ˈa-(ˌ)skō How to pronounce fiasco (audio)
also
-ˈä- How to pronounce fiasco (audio)
plural fiascoes
: a complete failure
The critic called the film a fiasco.
… the total fiasco that was his personal life …Margaret Atwood

fiasco

2 of 2

noun (2)

fi·​as·​co fē-ˈä-(ˌ)skō How to pronounce fiasco (audio) -ˈa- How to pronounce fiasco (audio)
plural fiascoes also fiaschi fē-ˈä-(ˌ)skē How to pronounce fiasco (audio)
-ˈa-
: bottle, flask
especially : a bulbous long-necked straw-covered bottle for wine

Examples of fiasco in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Best Moments of the 2023 MTV VMAs Thankfully, Swift had a lot going for her at the VMAs outside of the broken ring fiasco. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023 Live Nation has been in court recently over the Astroworld tragedy and the Taylor Swift Ticketmaster fiasco. Marc Hogan, Pitchfork, 8 Sep. 2023 Arroyo was also at the center of the fiasco that prompted Rachael Rollins, a onetime rising political star, to resign from her post as US attorney for Massachusetts. Emma Platoff, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Aug. 2023 After the cake fiasco lands them on the cover of every tabloid, Henry and Alex are ordered by their respective governments to play nice. Peter Debruge, Variety, 10 Aug. 2023 The fiasco led to a U.S. Senate hearing, and a lawsuit brought by Swift's fans. Maryalice Parks, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2023 Some students were not picked up in the morning while others did not arrive home until nearly 10 p.m. The fiasco resulted in hungry and tired children, angry parents and exasperated politicians. Travis Loller, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2023 Their tiny town, long divided by a railroad track, was now divided over what was worse: ignoring the potential health effects or risking economic disaster, as property values and small businesses grew weaker the longer the fiasco wore on. Emily Baumgaertner Brian Kaiser, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2023 The ‘fiasco’ Commissioners approved the $39,000 contract for Leininger’s consulting services Aug. 9 after nearly four months of serious ongoing technical issues related to correctly paying county vendors and 6,800 employees. Josephine Peterson, Dallas News, 15 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fiasco.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French, from Italian, from fare fiasco, literally, to make a bottle

Noun (2)

Italian, from Late Latin flasco bottle — more at flask

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1854, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1887, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fiasco was circa 1854

Dictionary Entries Near fiasco

Cite this Entry

“Fiasco.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiasco. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

fiasco

noun
fi·​as·​co
fē-ˈas-kō
plural fiascoes
: a complete failure

More from Merriam-Webster on fiasco

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!