flameout

1 of 2

noun

flame·​out ˈflām-ˌau̇t 

1

: the unintentional cessation of operation of a jet airplane engine

2

: a sudden downfall, failure, or cessation

3

: a person whose successful career ends abruptly

flame out

2 of 2

verb

flamed out; flaming out; flames out

intransitive verb

: to fail spectacularly and especially prematurely

Synonyms

Noun

• comedown
• decline
• dégringolade
• demise
• descent
• down
• downfall
• fall
• Götterdämmerung

Verb

• bomb
• collapse
• crater
• fail
• flop
• flunk
• fold
• founder
• miss
• strike out
• tank
• wash out

Examples of flameout in a Sentence

Noun

Fans were disappointed by the team's flameout in the play-offs.

before her sudden, self-inflicted flameout, she was one of the state's brightest political stars

Verb

even at the reception, some were predicting that the marriage would flame out before the fancy china ever got used

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

However, the national semifinal flameout creates some doubt about the Bruins’ overall ceiling compared with the rest of this crew, slotting them in fourth despite being the No. 1 team for most of the season. —Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025

And the 2024 flameout season Aaron Rodgers, a first ballot Hall of Famer, just produced for the Jets is proof that Miami’s AFC East revival is still bad. —Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2025

Verb

Even if not, his Nets tenure flamed out in dramatic fashion two years ago, so neither side might be open to a reunion. —Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Smith was a journeyman who flamed out with past organizations, including the New York Jets, which drafted him. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1951, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for flameout

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout