fizzle
/ˈfɪzəl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.50 in modern English
27
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To decay or die off to nothing; to burn out; to end less successfully than previously hoped.
Informal
noun
A spluttering or hissing sound.
Example Sentences
- "The soda fizzled for several minutes after it was poured."
- "It is the easest thing, sir, to be done, / As plain as fizzling."
- "The entire project fizzled after the founder quit."
- "I had a suspicion that Stephanie's native ingenuity rather fizzled there. You know, Stephanie dear, there is a difference, it seems, between Bombay and Californian pearls."
- "And so it fizzled to its close with Gary Cahill galloping around as an extra centre-forward, mutinous chants of “you’re not fit to wear the shirt,” from the England followers and Hodgson’s media staff announcing he would not take any questions."
- "The shot fizzled, generating only 200 tons rather than the 30 kilotons they were aiming for."
Etymology
Attested in English since 1525-35. From earlier fysel (“to fart”). Related to fīsa (“to fart”). Compare with Swedish fisa (“to fart (silently)”). See also feist. It could also come from old Norse: "fise" simply means "blow," like in "blow in the wind." A weather-exposed community in Rogaland, Norway, is called Fister. (In modern language, the verb "fisle" has the same 3 meanings as in English, see below.)
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈfɪzəl/
- British English: /ˈfɪzəl/