flash in the pan

noun phrase

1

: a sudden spasmodic effort that accomplishes nothing

2

: one that appears promising but turns out to be disappointing or worthless

… his third-place finish … established him as something more than a flash in the pan.

—John Garrity

Examples of flash in the pan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If nothing else, the King’s brief reign was a spectacular, madcap flash in the pan. — Bill Swank, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 June 2026

Now, the Wild must make sure this wasn’t a flash in the pan. — Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 18 May 2026

This industry shift is not a flash in the pan. — Thomas Andersen, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2026

None of them, to my eye, looks like a flash in the pan, either. — James Mirtle, New York Times, 4 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

from the firing of the priming in the pan of a flintlock musket without discharging the piece

First Known Use

1706, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for flash in the pan

• assemblyman
• carbofuran
• catamaran
• chipewyan
• illinoian
• newspaperman
• nurseryman
• afghan
• bedpan
• began
• caveman
• chapin