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 interstate wars that have reached this level of intensity do not tend to simply peter out without negotiations.
—
Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2023
Although skies can look downright apocalyptic during this time, as the smoke peters out in April, a must-experience cultural festival happens throughout Thailand: Songkran, a.k.a.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 9 May 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for peter out 
Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2023
Although skies can look downright apocalyptic during this time, as the smoke peters out in April, a must-experience cultural festival happens throughout Thailand: Songkran, a.k.a.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 9 May 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for peter out
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Peter out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peter%20out. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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