fizzle

[fiz-uh l] /ˈfɪz əl/
verb (used without object), fizzled, fizzling.
1.
to make a hissing or sputtering sound, especially one that dies out weakly.
2.
Informal. to fail ignominiously after a good start (often followed by out):
The reform movement fizzled out because of poor leadership.
noun
3.
a fizzling, hissing, or sputtering.
4.
Informal. a failure; fiasco.
Origin
1525-35; earlier fysel to break wind, frequentative of *fise < Old Norse fīsa to break wind; akin to feist
Synonyms
2. miscarry, collapse, founder.
British Dictionary definitions for fizzle out

fizzle

/ˈfɪzəl/
verb (intransitive)
1.
to make a hissing or bubbling sound
2.
(often foll by out) (informal) to fail or die out, esp after a promising start
noun
3.
a hissing or bubbling sound; fizz
4.
(informal) an outright failure; fiasco
Word Origin
C16: probably from obsolete fist to break wind
Word Origin and History for fizzle out

fizzle

v.

1530s, "to break wind without noise," probably altered from obsolete fist, from Middle English fisten "break wind" (see feisty) + frequentative suffix -le. Related: Fizzled; fizzling.

Noun sense of "failure, fiasco" is from 1846, originally U.S. college slang for "failure in an exam." Barnhart says it is "not considered as derived from the verb." The verb in this sense is from 1847.

Slang definitions & phrases for fizzle out

fizzle

noun

: Our monster bash was a fizzle

verb

To fail; lose effect; flop, peter out: I bail out of all my commitments and things fizzle

[1840s+ College students; fr the lackluster sibilance of a damp firecracker]


Idioms and Phrases with fizzle out

fizzle out

Fail, end weakly, especially after a hopeful beginning. For example, The enthusiasm for reform has fizzled out in this state. The word fizzle dates from the early 1500s and meant “to break wind without making noise.” Later it was applied to hissing noises, such as those made by wet fireworks, and then to any endeavor that ends in disappointment. [ ; mid-1800s ]