as in collapsed
to be unsuccessful
even at the reception, some were predicting that the marriage would flame out before the fancy china ever got used
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Recent Examples of flamed out
Or the 2019 Lightning and 2023 Bruins, which both flamed out in all-time first-round upsets.
—
Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
By the time the gold rush flamed out, more than $50 million had been mined—enough to justify the purchase many times over and silence Seward’s critics.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
Big free-agent signings Chandler Jones (2022) and Christian Wilkins (2024) flamed out off the field, and first-round pick Tyree Wilson (2023) has been a bust, so Crosby has often been double-teamed — with a tight end or running back coming in to chip him as well.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Most of the top Fox executives who tried to make the transition flamed out, but Walden thrived.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
The Cavaliers flamed out in the second round of the playoffs losing to the Indiana Pacers in five games and Hunter averaged 11 points in eight postseason games last season.
—Hector Amezcua, Sacbee.com, 1 Feb. 2026
By the time Bachmann’s 2012 presidential bid flamed out, Miller was already firmly ensconced with then-Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who shared his hard-line obsession with immigration, and Bannon, who provided a broader nationalist, populist scaffolding.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Councilmember Bob Blumenfield recently nominated Jason Levin, a onetime spokesperson for his office, to fill the seat after his previous pick, former Councilmember Dennis Zine, flamed out.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2026
Roasted by fans and media members alike as not worthy of CFP inclusion after the opening-round flameouts by Tulane and James Madison, the G5’s narrative improved markedly in the quarterfinals when Texas Tech and Alabama flamed out, as well.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
By the time the gold rush flamed out, more than $50 million had been mined—enough to justify the purchase many times over and silence Seward’s critics.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
Big free-agent signings Chandler Jones (2022) and Christian Wilkins (2024) flamed out off the field, and first-round pick Tyree Wilson (2023) has been a bust, so Crosby has often been double-teamed — with a tight end or running back coming in to chip him as well.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Most of the top Fox executives who tried to make the transition flamed out, but Walden thrived.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
The Cavaliers flamed out in the second round of the playoffs losing to the Indiana Pacers in five games and Hunter averaged 11 points in eight postseason games last season.
—Hector Amezcua, Sacbee.com, 1 Feb. 2026
By the time Bachmann’s 2012 presidential bid flamed out, Miller was already firmly ensconced with then-Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who shared his hard-line obsession with immigration, and Bannon, who provided a broader nationalist, populist scaffolding.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Councilmember Bob Blumenfield recently nominated Jason Levin, a onetime spokesperson for his office, to fill the seat after his previous pick, former Councilmember Dennis Zine, flamed out.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2026
Roasted by fans and media members alike as not worthy of CFP inclusion after the opening-round flameouts by Tulane and James Madison, the G5’s narrative improved markedly in the quarterfinals when Texas Tech and Alabama flamed out, as well.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flamed out
Verb
-
The brief, failed ouster of Altman in 2023 almost collapsed the ChatGPT maker, with investors pressing the board to bring back Altman and employees pledging to quit en masse if the CEO wasn’t reinstated.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Over the past 50 years, the average size of wildlife populations has collapsed by 73% owing to nature loss and climate change.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The show focuses on how the Metropolitan Police failed to thoroughly investigate two women’s allegations, which left Worboys free to commit assaults undetected for many years.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
-
In 2013, Hall tried (and failed) to replicate the previous magic and his show was cancelled after one season, many blaming tougher competition than before.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Under Cook, the company has become less surprising but massively financially successful; some of Apple’s newer products have flopped or underperformed, but far more have become and stayed excellent thanks to years of competent iteration.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Cuomo’s podcast and mayoral bid flopped.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His xAI, now folded into his rocket company SpaceX, trails far behind OpenAI in usage.—
Deepa Seetharaman,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The Red Sox made a surprise playoff run last year, and then completely folded over the offseason.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But Maxey missed his final three attempts, and the Celtics held on to win.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Houston survived James’ missed potential winner at the end of regulation after Alperen Şengün couldn’t score on the other end, but overtime felt inevitable — and so did the unraveling.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sox batters struck out 14 times.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Cole Ragans struck out 11 in six sharp innings and Nick Loftin had a career-high four RBIs as the Kansas City Royals routed the Los Angeles Angels 12-1 on Saturday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While child stars come and go, washed out at 15 and forgotten at 20, Michael has withstood intense exposure for eight years—a remarkable feat for any performer.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The plant’s leaf segments look washed out, pale green or yellowish.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After the fact, Mattel struggled to launch a popular action figure based on original IP.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
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And Russia has struggled to replenish its military ranks amid horrific casualties on the Ukrainian front line.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flamed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flamed%20out. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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