as in collapsed
to be unsuccessful
even at the reception, some were predicting that the marriage would flame out before the fancy china ever got used
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Recent Examples of flamed out
By the time the gold rush flamed out, more than $50 million had been mined—enough to justify the purchase many times over and silence Seward’s critics.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
Big free-agent signings Chandler Jones (2022) and Christian Wilkins (2024) flamed out off the field, and first-round pick Tyree Wilson (2023) has been a bust, so Crosby has often been double-teamed — with a tight end or running back coming in to chip him as well.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Most of the top Fox executives who tried to make the transition flamed out, but Walden thrived.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
The Cavaliers flamed out in the second round of the playoffs losing to the Indiana Pacers in five games and Hunter averaged 11 points in eight postseason games last season.
—Hector Amezcua, Sacbee.com, 1 Feb. 2026
By the time Bachmann’s 2012 presidential bid flamed out, Miller was already firmly ensconced with then-Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who shared his hard-line obsession with immigration, and Bannon, who provided a broader nationalist, populist scaffolding.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Councilmember Bob Blumenfield recently nominated Jason Levin, a onetime spokesperson for his office, to fill the seat after his previous pick, former Councilmember Dennis Zine, flamed out.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2026
Roasted by fans and media members alike as not worthy of CFP inclusion after the opening-round flameouts by Tulane and James Madison, the G5’s narrative improved markedly in the quarterfinals when Texas Tech and Alabama flamed out, as well.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
While both societies flamed out, their impact remains.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 30 Dec. 2025
Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
Big free-agent signings Chandler Jones (2022) and Christian Wilkins (2024) flamed out off the field, and first-round pick Tyree Wilson (2023) has been a bust, so Crosby has often been double-teamed — with a tight end or running back coming in to chip him as well.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Most of the top Fox executives who tried to make the transition flamed out, but Walden thrived.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
The Cavaliers flamed out in the second round of the playoffs losing to the Indiana Pacers in five games and Hunter averaged 11 points in eight postseason games last season.
—Hector Amezcua, Sacbee.com, 1 Feb. 2026
By the time Bachmann’s 2012 presidential bid flamed out, Miller was already firmly ensconced with then-Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who shared his hard-line obsession with immigration, and Bannon, who provided a broader nationalist, populist scaffolding.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Councilmember Bob Blumenfield recently nominated Jason Levin, a onetime spokesperson for his office, to fill the seat after his previous pick, former Councilmember Dennis Zine, flamed out.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2026
Roasted by fans and media members alike as not worthy of CFP inclusion after the opening-round flameouts by Tulane and James Madison, the G5’s narrative improved markedly in the quarterfinals when Texas Tech and Alabama flamed out, as well.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
While both societies flamed out, their impact remains.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flamed out
Verb
-
Bulgaria's previous conservative government collapsed in December after nationwide anti-corruption protests drew hundreds of thousands of mainly young people to the streets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The climax hit, and as every Phish fan knows, nearly collapsed the song before Anastasio brought the chicky-chicky guitar back in.—
Jeff Miller,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Both sides have tried and failed to advance their partisan priorities the last few months.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Former administrators of Freidenrich’s office have said that her investments were too conservative and failed to generate adequate returns.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Cuomo’s podcast and mayoral bid flopped.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The comedy flopped at the box office, but Drop Dead Gorgeous proved ahead of its time — the movie cast Amy Adams in her first film role — and has since been declared a cult classic.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
News organizations elsewhere — including in the Caribbean — have faced layoffs, folded entirely or attempted to bring in new revenue by soliciting donations or adding paywalls to websites.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The loaf is topped with hot honey and features an explosion of pepperoni cups in the middle, along with marinara sauce, mozzarella, and more pepperoni folded into the dough.—
Joseph Erbentraut,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Timberwolves played without Julius Randle, who missed a second straight game with right hand soreness.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The next batter, Jacob Wilson, sent a slow roller past Senga right to Semien, who missed the ball completely.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Schultz struck out at least one batter in each of his final four innings of work on Sunday, including recording two strikeouts in both the second and fourth innings.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Miller struck out two in a perfect ninth for his eighth save.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Part of a state highway in Northern Lower Michigan has washed out and is closed until further notice, the Emmet County Sheriff's Office said.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The third Masters had so much rain that the first round didn't start until Friday, and when Sunday was washed out, the final two rounds were played on Monday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For years, the LAPD struggled to clear a decades-old backlog of untested rape kits that at one point ballooned in number to more than 6,100.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Kilmer, who died from throat cancer at 65, signed on to the project, but struggled with health issues once production began.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flamed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flamed%20out. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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