: a state of disorder or disrepair
—used in the phrase on the fritz
One day the Internet connection at the house goes on the fritz [=stops working properly], so I go with the laptop to a cafe and ask if it has wireless.—
Joel Achenbach
Joel Achenbach
Examples of fritz in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dave Madore owns the arcade and jukeboxes inside the restaurant, where he was supposed to be Wednesday night to fix a jukebox that was on the fritz.
—Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2023
If your cell phone, for instance, landed on Venus, the thermal energy would set off a flurry of electrons and send your device on the fritz.
—Debbie G. Senesky, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023
When his helmet radio went on the fritz, the Bengals quarterback temporarily had to call the plays.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
With 21-year-old Lonnie Walker, 23-year-old Dejounte Murray, 26-year-old Derrick White and 24-year-old Jakob Poeltl buzzing alongside him like kids hopped up on too much Skittles and soda, DeRozan can’t help but feel like he is stuck in a time machine on the fritz.
—Jeff McDonald, ExpressNews.com, 4 Aug. 2020
Laundry can pile up even when your washer/dryer is working well, but things will get out of hand pretty quickly if either machine is on the fritz.
—Barbara Bellesi Zito, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 May 2023
Read the full Cancer Daily Horoscope Leo (July 23 - August 22) Intuition on the fritz?
—USA TODAY, 5 May 2023
No more worries about the air conditioner on the fritz or a flood from the non-stop running toilet.
—Bea Lewis, Sun Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022
White Rice FotografiaBasica//Getty Images Low in fiber and high in simple carbohydrates, white rice is easy to digest—a major plus when your stomach is on the fritz, says Goldberg.
—Women's Health, 17 Apr. 2023
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Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2023
If your cell phone, for instance, landed on Venus, the thermal energy would set off a flurry of electrons and send your device on the fritz.
—Debbie G. Senesky, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023
When his helmet radio went on the fritz, the Bengals quarterback temporarily had to call the plays.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
With 21-year-old Lonnie Walker, 23-year-old Dejounte Murray, 26-year-old Derrick White and 24-year-old Jakob Poeltl buzzing alongside him like kids hopped up on too much Skittles and soda, DeRozan can’t help but feel like he is stuck in a time machine on the fritz.
—Jeff McDonald, ExpressNews.com, 4 Aug. 2020
Laundry can pile up even when your washer/dryer is working well, but things will get out of hand pretty quickly if either machine is on the fritz.
—Barbara Bellesi Zito, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 May 2023
Read the full Cancer Daily Horoscope Leo (July 23 - August 22) Intuition on the fritz?
—USA TODAY, 5 May 2023
No more worries about the air conditioner on the fritz or a flood from the non-stop running toilet.
—Bea Lewis, Sun Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022
White Rice FotografiaBasica//Getty Images Low in fiber and high in simple carbohydrates, white rice is easy to digest—a major plus when your stomach is on the fritz, says Goldberg.
—Women's Health, 17 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fritz.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
origin unknown
First Known Use
1902, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing fritz
Dictionary Entries Near fritz
Cite this Entry
“Fritz.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fritz. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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