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
And then a surprising proportion of the early front-runners or near-front-runners in the primary—Katie Porter, Eric Swalwell—flamed out of favor for reasons of their own authorship.
—
Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 2 June 2026
The Knicks turned to experienced Mike Brown, which came off like Plan B at best, but while Brown has done a masterful job in coaching to his personnel’s strengths and leading the franchise over the playoff hump that tripped up Thibs, the Mavericks flamed out and fired Kidd last week.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 26 May 2026
Claypool flamed out in Chicago after catching just 18 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown over 10 games.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Or the 2019 Lightning and 2023 Bruins, which both flamed out in all-time first-round upsets.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
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
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
Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 2 June 2026
The Knicks turned to experienced Mike Brown, which came off like Plan B at best, but while Brown has done a masterful job in coaching to his personnel’s strengths and leading the franchise over the playoff hump that tripped up Thibs, the Mavericks flamed out and fired Kidd last week.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 26 May 2026
Claypool flamed out in Chicago after catching just 18 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown over 10 games.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Or the 2019 Lightning and 2023 Bruins, which both flamed out in all-time first-round upsets.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flamed out
Verb
-
On May 9, 1873—Black Friday—stocks collapsed, and fights broke out on the floor of the exchange, which was forced to close.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Like how the 1964 claims of a North Vietnamese attack in the Gulf of Tonkin collapsed.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Nursing home operators argued the state failed to properly account for the medical complexity of residents when calculating those payments, reducing reimbursement for facilities caring for some of the sickest patients.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
Towns called it a collective joy when the Spurs failed to score on the final possession.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The willingness to protect meaning over volume is precisely what has made the brand more culturally relevant than numerous others that came up alongside it and flopped.—
Jeetendr Sehdev,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
His first attempt, a dystopian fantasy, had flopped.—
Nathan Heller,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The vehicle has 78 cubic feet of storage space when the rear seats are folded, 44 cubic feet when just the back row is folded, and 15 cubic feet when all seats are in use.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
10 June 2026
-
Paul Turnley was presented with a British flag folded into a triangle given by the military in honor of the sacrifice of his relation, Pvt.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Pasquantino missed one game at that time.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
14 June 2026
-
As the clock ticked down, Fox missed a 3-pointer and the Knicks got the rebound.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Verb
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After the argument, Hoffman struck out Max Schuemann and Anthony Volpe to leave Chisholm stranded.—
CBS New York Team,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
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The only close call was a foul ball down the left-field line by Meidroth with two outs in the fifth before Meidroth promptly struck out.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
Verb
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That's because the odor is washed out in the rinse cycle, leaving behind only the benefits of adding it to the wash.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
14 June 2026
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During a hurricane, leaf litter blown or washed out of the canopy ended up in the complex network of roots below, providing a pulse of nutrients that enhanced the production of new roots and hastened mangrove recovery.—
John Kominoski,
The Conversation,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Jalen Brunson has 19 points to lead New York, but the Knicks have struggled to avoid fouls on defense and struggled to make foul shots on the other end.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
-
Rushing out onto the beach, George struggled to comprehend what had happened.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flamed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flamed%20out. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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