fritz

noun

\ˈfrits

\

Definition of fritz

: a state of disorder or disrepair —used in the phrase on the fritz

Examples of fritz in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s a dexterous, gibberish-spouting clown on hand (Andrey Kislitsin) who has a funny extended gag fussing with washing machines on the fritz. — Misha Berson, The Seattle Times, "In Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Volta,’ acro-bicyclists soar and an aerialist hovers in the air by her hair," 18 Sep. 2018 You’d be forgiven if your internal GPS went on the fritz in this knockout room, which recalls the Hall of Mirrors thousands of miles away. — Alex Van Buren, Condé Nast Traveler, "21 Best Bars in New York City," 1 Mar. 2018 Eventually the radio goes on the fritz again and the sisters subside back into their lives again. — Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "A dance of regret in Gloucester Stage’s ‘Lughnasa’," 20 June 2018 Records from his Cricket phone show Grider tried to call AAA, corroborating the idea that his truck was on the fritz. — Jason Pohl, azcentral, "From missing to legally dead: The search for Sheriff's Office posse member Sam Grider," 12 Jan. 2018 One place that routinely reports when signals are on the fritz: @NYCTSubway, New York City Transit’s twitter account. — Sarah Maslin Nir, New York Times, "How Often Do Subway Signals Fail? Ask Twitter," 28 Mar. 2018 Whatever is causing Tabby’s Star to randomly dim like a lightbulb on the fritz has nothing to do with alien megastructures. — Neel V. Patel, Slate Magazine, "How Interesting Does Science Have to Be for the Public to Fund It?," 4 Jan. 2018 The towels were used, Gerull explained, after her department ran out of the special covers normally used when a box goes on the fritz. — Dominic Fracassa, San Francisco Chronicle, "SF trying to figure out how to bring old emergency call boxes into modern world," 28 Feb. 2018 Some of the temporary drainage pumps at the 17th Street Canal went on the fritz Wednesday morning, but they were quickly repaired. — Brian Moore, Popular Mechanics, "Post-Katrina Upgrades Protecting New Orleans From Isaac," 29 Aug. 2012

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

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Dictionary Entries near fritz

Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Statistics for fritz

Last Updated

26 Nov 2018

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Time Traveler for fritz

The first known use of fritz was in 1902

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