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
Or the current eruption could instead stop at the summit if its magma supply peters out.
—
CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
After all, over the decades many upstart parties have challenged LDP rule only to peter out soon after.
—Mireya Solís, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Forecasters expect this storm, which poses no threat to land, to start to peter out over the weekend on its path straight east.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2025
But as consumer demand lulls—either because buyers decided to make the purchase or are holding off until the tariff dust settled—the frenzy is beginning to peter out.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for peter out
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CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
After all, over the decades many upstart parties have challenged LDP rule only to peter out soon after.
—Mireya Solís, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Forecasters expect this storm, which poses no threat to land, to start to peter out over the weekend on its path straight east.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2025
But as consumer demand lulls—either because buyers decided to make the purchase or are holding off until the tariff dust settled—the frenzy is beginning to peter out.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for peter out
Cite this Entry
“Peter out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peter%20out. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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