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

a flameout that cost the network millions

3

: a person whose successful career ends abruptly

He was a spectacular failure …, a flameout.

—Douglas S. Looney and Carlton Stowers

flame out

2 of 2

verb

flamed out; flaming out; flames out

intransitive verb

: to fail spectacularly and especially prematurely

a promising career that flamed out

Synonyms of flameout

Noun

• demise
• downfall
• down
• setback

Verb

• fail
• collapse
• flop
• strike out
• fold
• miss
• fall short
• struggle
• bomb
• wash out
• tank
• lay an egg
• come to grief

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

Navatek’s public flameout attracted the attention of Michelle Ball and Kevin Gounaud, two experienced agents in the FBI’s elite anti-corruption unit. — William Turton, ProPublica, 22 Sep. 2026

In his latest column, George Skelton writes about why the wildfire bill flameout is sad for California. — Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Verb

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever flamed out in their regular-season finale. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Green Bay Packers The Packers flamed out again, then extended everybody. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 6 Sep. 2026

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