fizzle

fiz·zle | \ ˈfi-zəl

How to pronounce fizzle (audio)

\

fizzled; fizzling\ ˈfi-zə-liŋ

How to pronounce fizzling (audio)

, ˈfiz-liŋ \

Definition of fizzle

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : fizz

2 : to fail or end feebly especially after a promising start —often used with out

fizzle

Definition of fizzle (Entry 2 of 2)

: an abortive effort : failure

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about fizzle

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Examples of fizzle in a Sentence

Verb oozing gobs of grease, a pair of fatty burgers fizzled on the grill Noun the home team's unexpected fizzle in that last game cost them the championship the play was a fizzle, opening and closing the same night

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The authorities' reluctance to use force appeared to reflect concerns of provoking even wider discontent as well as hopes that the demonstrations will eventually fizzle. — Bloomberg.com, "Police Detain Protesters in Russian City of Khabarovsk," 10 Oct. 2020 On Thursday, Commissioner Ed Rothstein, R-District 5, pushed to leave the portal open longer and let the program fizzle down to zero. — Mary Grace Keller, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Carroll County gives out $3.4M in coronavirus relief funds to businesses, nonprofits," 3 Oct. 2020 But as congressional gridlock dragged out over the summer, those hopes began to fizzle. — Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, "Against a spending deadline, counties express frustration over coronavirus aid restrictions," 30 Sep. 2020 That was on full display against San Francisco, when New York routinely had possessions fizzle with nothing to show. — Dennis Waszak Jr., courant.com, "Gase: Struggling Jets need to go on ‘hyperdrive’ to improve," 21 Sep. 2020 Former Tropical Depression Vicky, now a post-tropical cyclone, was about 1,050 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands and soon expected to fizzle. — Victoria Ballard, sun-sentinel.com, "Teddy is now a Category 4 hurricane, and here comes yet another system in the Gulf of Mexico," 17 Sep. 2020 Recently, some commentators have argued that the pandemic will imminently fizzle out for two reasons. — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, "The Pandemic Is an Intuition Nightmare," 9 Sep. 2020 And there are fears of a backslide if recovery efforts fizzle and the country reverts to widespread shutdowns and other coronavirus pandemic safeguards. — Hannah Denham, Washington Post, "5 reasons gold prices are soaring," 5 Aug. 2020 There are some signs a recovery is underway, despite countervailing signals in the travel industry that an anticipated rebound may fizzle. — Washington Post, "Bayer did not report thousands of Essure complaints to FDA, lawsuit filing alleges," 10 July 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The Supreme Court fight of the century is, so far, a fizzle. — Rich Lowry, National Review, "Democrats Haven’t Landed a Punch on Amy Coney Barrett," 6 Oct. 2020 How does something this big fizzle away with no concrete action? — Nicole Goodkind, Fortune, "Erin Brockovich has given up on the federal government saving the environment," 25 Sep. 2020 Oklahoma City doesn't make the playoffs without Paul while the loss of Simmons showed in Philadelphia's playoff fizzle. — Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, "Winning ultimately will lead to Devin Booker earning All-NBA honors," 16 Sep. 2020 Fisher has given the Aggies little return on their $75 million investment, following sizzling preseason buzz with plenty of fizzle on the field. — Edgar Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, "5 SEC storylines to watch: Can Gators beat Georgia, LSU stay hot and more?," 8 Sep. 2020 But besides rolling to first-half point totals of 85 and 73 points, though, the season restart has been more fizzle than sizzle. — Dallas News, "Mavs clinch playoff berth, but another blown lead may have doomed them to 1st-round matchup with Clippers," 3 Aug. 2020 The trajectory of the flavor ban — from a bold pronouncement of swift action to a fizzle after the political realities of taking such an action emerge — is similar to Trump’s stance on gun legislation. — BostonGlobe.com, "WASHINGTON — It was a swift and bold reaction to a growing public health crisis affecting teenagers. Seated in the Oval Office in September, President Donald Trump said he was moving to ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes as vaping among young people continued to rise.," 18 Nov. 2019 Part of the fizzle was a tepid response from gun writers, few of whom fully appreciated the subtle advantages of short-action rifles. — Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, "The 7mm Showdown: 7x57 vs. 7mm-08 Rem. vs. .284 Win.," 20 Mar. 2020 Instead of a raucous send-off, our season went out with an anxious fizzle. — Abigail Barronian, Outside Online, "Inside the Unprecedented End of the 2020 Ski Season," 17 Mar. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fizzle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

16 Oct 2020

Cite this Entry

“Fizzle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fizzle. Accessed 28 Oct. 2020.

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