fiasco

1 of 2

noun (1)

fi·​as·​co fē-ˈa-(ˌ)skō 

also

-ˈä- 

plural fiascoes

: a complete failure

The critic called the film a fiasco.

… the total fiasco that was his personal life …

—Margaret Atwood

fiasco

2 of 2

noun (2)

fi·​as·​co fē-ˈä-(ˌ)skō  -ˈa- 

plural fiascoes also fiaschi fē-ˈä-(ˌ)skē 

-ˈa-

: bottle, flask

especially : a bulbous long-necked straw-covered bottle for wine

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• bomb
• bummer
• bust
• catastrophe
• clinker
• clunker
• debacle
• débâcle
• disaster
• dud
• failure
• fizzle
• flop
• frost
• lemon
• loser
• miss
• shipwreck
• turkey
• washout

Examples of fiasco in a Sentence

Noun (1)

undaunted by his early fiascoes, he continued his experiments in rocketry

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

To prevent another CrowdStrike update fiasco, Microsoft is looking at creating a new platform within the Windows OS specifically designed for antivirus monitoring, nudging security products out of kernel. —Michael Kan, PCMAG, 12 Sep. 2024

Popular on Variety The announcement brought to a close a nearly six-week fiasco that began when the four members of Greece’s Oscar selection committee were abruptly canned just two days after their appointment. —Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024

Time will tell how the Indian manufacturer will come out of this fiasco, but one thing's for sure. —New Atlas, 12 Sep. 2024

But Tuesday’s fiasco is a reminder of how reliant Olympic triathletes are on the weather. —Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French, from Italian, from fare fiasco, literally, to make a bottle

Noun (2)

Italian, from Late Latin flasco bottle — more at flask

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1854, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1887, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fiasco

noun

fi·​as·​co

fē-ˈas-kō

plural fiascoes

: a complete failure