fizzle
fizzle Lexical Profile
fizzle Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To end or fail weakly and disappointingly, especially after a promising start (often used with 'out').
"Initial enthusiasm for the new policy quickly began to fizzle once the costs were revealed."
To make a weak hissing or sputtering sound.
"The wet logs continued to fizzle in the fireplace without catching a strong flame."
• noun
An attempt or undertaking that ends weakly or in disappointment after a promising start; a failure or fiasco.
"Despite the expensive marketing campaign, the product launch turned out to be a complete fizzle."
A feeble hissing or sputtering sound.
"The damp match gave a brief fizzle and went out."
• Rhymes for fizzle
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the 16th century, it is an imitative frequentative formation originally meaning to break wind quietly, later evolving to describe a weak hissing sound and, by the 19th century in American English, a disappointing failure.