flameout

1 of 2

noun

flame·​out ˈflām-ˌau̇t How to pronounce flameout (audio)
1
: the unintentional cessation of operation of a jet airplane engine
2
: a sudden downfall, failure, or cessation
3
: a person whose successful career ends abruptly

flame out

2 of 2

verb

flamed out; flaming out; flames out

intransitive verb

: to fail spectacularly and especially prematurely

Examples of flameout in a Sentence

Noun Fans were disappointed by the team's flameout in the play-offs. before her sudden, self-inflicted flameout, she was one of the state's brightest political stars Verb even at the reception, some were predicting that the marriage would flame out before the fancy china ever got used
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The risk is a first-round flameout and all sorts of uncertainty moving forward. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2025 What's the gold price outlook for the rest of 2025? Fyre Festival 2 tickets go on sale after spectacular flameout in 2017 Denny's joins Waffle House in adding egg surcharge Starbucks' drink menu is changing. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2025
Verb
However, Springs turned into a solid starter for the Rays -- 2.46 ERA in 135 1/3 innings in 2022 -- whereas Hernandez flamed out after a few underwhelming seasons in Boston's system and never played in a big league game. Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025 Fortunately for the Eagles, no other NFL team wanted him, and a year later, when Kelly flamed out, Roseman returned to power. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for flameout

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flameout was in 1950

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flameout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flameout. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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