fizzle

Noun · Verb

US[fiz-uhl]/ˈfɪzəl/2 syllables

Synonyms: hiss hissing hushing sibilation flop bust taper off peter out fizzle out

Open English WordNet

Verb (1)fizzled, fizzling

end weakly“The music just petered out — there was no proper ending”Synonyms: taper off peter out fizzle outMore general discontinue

Noun (2)

a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)“the performers could not be heard over the hissing of the audience”Synonyms: hiss hissing hushing sibilationType of noise
a complete failure“the play was a dismal flop”Synonyms: flop bustType of failureKinds turkey, bomb

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

fiz′zle (fĭz′z'l), intransitive verb [past tense & past participle fizzled (fĭz′z'ld); present participle & verbal noun fizzling (fĭz′zlĭng).]

Origin: See Fizz.

1. To make a hissing sound.

It is the easiest thing, sir, to be done, As plain as fizzling.— Ben Jonson

2. To make a ridiculous failure in an undertaking, especially after a good start; to achieve nothing. Colloq. or Low

A four-day rally in stocks fizzled yesterday amid renewed fears that strong economic growth may prompt the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.— Sharon R. King (N. Y. Times, May 6, 1998).

To fizzle out, to burn with a hissing noise and then go out, like wet gunpowder; hence: to fail completely and ridiculously; to prove a failure. colloquial

fiz′zle noun

A failure or abortive effort; a fiasco. colloquial

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: +PJC, GCIDE editors