peter out
phrasal verb
petered out; petering out; peters out
informal
: to gradually become smaller, weaker, or less before stopping or ending
Their romantic relationship petered out after the summer.
Interest in the sport is beginning to peter out.
Examples of peter out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the script’s halfhearted suggestions that race or religion may have been factors in Reena’s killings peter out the same way everything else about the show does, with a timid shrug.
—
Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
One hypothesis suggested that the foxes interbred with dogs that European colonizers introduced to South America, and that interbreeding eventually caused the foxes’ lineage to peter out.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
And when the wind doesn’t blow, production from wind farms peters out.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
This kind of specialization, where common algorithms once run as software on CPUs are made faster by recreating them in hardware, has been thought of as a way to keep computing from stagnating after Moore’s Law peters out in one or two more chip generations.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Feb. 2019
The fate of Hinkley Point and another project, planned on England’s east coast in the village Sizewell, could determine whether the nuclear momentum in Britain gathers pace or peters out.
—Stanley Reed, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
Instead of letting that relationship peter out, re-create regular interaction with a former colleague to help ensure the relationship lasts.
—Aliza Knox, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Flood watch and wind advisory for Sacramento region The Sacramento Valley and foothills are under a flood watch until early Wednesday morning, when the storm is predicted to peter out.
—Savanna Smith, Sacramento Bee, 19 Feb. 2024
Yet growth will slow by roughly 50% next year to 1.1 million barrels a day as that rebound peters out, and consumers turn to more efficient or electric vehicles.
—Grant Smith, Fortune Europe, 14 Dec. 2023
Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
One hypothesis suggested that the foxes interbred with dogs that European colonizers introduced to South America, and that interbreeding eventually caused the foxes’ lineage to peter out.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
And when the wind doesn’t blow, production from wind farms peters out.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
This kind of specialization, where common algorithms once run as software on CPUs are made faster by recreating them in hardware, has been thought of as a way to keep computing from stagnating after Moore’s Law peters out in one or two more chip generations.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Feb. 2019
The fate of Hinkley Point and another project, planned on England’s east coast in the village Sizewell, could determine whether the nuclear momentum in Britain gathers pace or peters out.
—Stanley Reed, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
Instead of letting that relationship peter out, re-create regular interaction with a former colleague to help ensure the relationship lasts.
—Aliza Knox, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Flood watch and wind advisory for Sacramento region The Sacramento Valley and foothills are under a flood watch until early Wednesday morning, when the storm is predicted to peter out.
—Savanna Smith, Sacramento Bee, 19 Feb. 2024
Yet growth will slow by roughly 50% next year to 1.1 million barrels a day as that rebound peters out, and consumers turn to more efficient or electric vehicles.
—Grant Smith, Fortune Europe, 14 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'peter out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near peter out
Cite this Entry
“Peter out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peter%20out. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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