MEANING
To gradually end weakly or disappointingly as interest, energy, or activity fades.
Use it for
describing enthusiasm gradually disappearing; showing a project ending without results; describing an effort losing momentum; ending quietly rather than with a clear resolutionDescribes an ending caused by fading energy or interest rather than a decisive conclusion. Writing functions: Weak or disappointing ending. Semantic categories (by meaning): Loss of momentum; Failure; Endings. Contexts: General conversation; Creative prose.
On the page
The campaign fizzled out when its volunteer organizers moved away.
Their correspondence fizzled out after a few polite exchanges.
Word forms
- Base
- fizzle out
- Past tense
- fizzled out
- Past participle
- fizzled out
- Present participle
- fizzling out
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- fizzle out
- Present continuous
- am/is/are fizzling out
- Present perfect
- have/has fizzled out
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been fizzling out
- Past
- fizzled out
- Past continuous
- was/were fizzling out
- Past perfect
- had fizzled out
- Past perfect continuous
- had been fizzling out
- Future
- will fizzle out
- Future continuous
- will be fizzling out
- Future perfect
- will have fizzled out
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been fizzling out
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Intransitive phrasal verb: something fizzles out. Forms: fizzles out; fizzled out; fizzled out; fizzling out. Do not insert an object between fizzle and out. Register: neutral. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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