1
as in defeat
a falling short of one's goals
the home team's unexpected fizzle in that last game cost them the championship
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disaster
something that has failed
the play was a fizzle, opening and closing the same night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fizzle
Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2025
Given her considerable know-how and compelling background, why did Atkins’ campaign fizzle?
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
With the ball at her feet and one defender to beat, Summit FC center back Kaleigh Kurtz shadowed her to perfection and held on long enough for her teammates to get back in support, and the play fizzled out.
—Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fizzle
Noun
The parks headlining attraction, going out with a fizzle… Very unfortunate end to an iconic ride.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2025
Given her considerable know-how and compelling background, why did Atkins’ campaign fizzle?
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
This was always the case, but has only recently garnered more attention as the buzz around a potential deal began to fizzle after the combine.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
With the ball at her feet and one defender to beat, Summit FC center back Kaleigh Kurtz shadowed her to perfection and held on long enough for her teammates to get back in support, and the play fizzled out.
—Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fizzle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fizzle
Noun
-
One night after his team squandered three separate leads in an overtime defeat at Utah, McDavid delivered the kind of performance Edmonton needed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Check out the vibes following defeats.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
It’s been roughly 11 months since the Knicks and Celtics met in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last season, a series ending in disaster for the Celtics, who were favored to beat the Knicks before blowing consecutive 20-point leads to open the semifinals.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
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The disaster declaration will cover Kankakee, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Livingston, and Will counties.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The site, which bubbled and hissed for decades, is still called the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Then there's hissing through the air vents.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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To be present in Hungary on the eve of its upcoming elections is to feel the tremors of a regime confronting the prospect of collapse.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
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Spieth, nine holes away from another wire-to-wire victory, throws it away with a collapse around Amen Corner that is shocking even by Augusta National standards.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Eno understood that creative blocks are almost always a failure of perspective, not a failure of talent, and sometimes failure can even be an important part of the process overall.—
Jennifer Sodini,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
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The agency said the failure could reduce the driver's visibility and increase the risk of a crash.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The prospect has been lighting up meteorology forums and bubbled into the mainstream consciousness this week with the release of an outlook by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts indicating that sea surface temperatures could exceed the seasonal average by 2 degrees Celsius.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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Reduce oven temperature to 375° and continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown and juices are thick and bubbling, 75–90 minutes longer.—
Chris Morocco,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In 1949, Hogan was famously involved in a near-fatal car crash with a bus near El Paso.—
Mac Engel
April 9,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
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Nastiness can be framed as a function of mourning a loved one, as with Dorinda’s rants on RHONY; or despair over personal crises, as with RHOC star Shannon Beador’s DUI and car crash.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The penultimate episode rushes through its climax, but even that brief disappointment, in hindsight, feels like a choice meant to foreground what really matters.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2026
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In an interview with CNN, Rutte said Trump had made his disappointment with NATO allies clear.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fizzle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fizzle. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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