flameout

1 of 2

noun

flame·out ˈflām-ˌau̇t

Synonyms of flameout

: the unintentional cessation of operation of a jet airplane engine

: a sudden downfall, failure, or cessation

a flameout that cost the network millions

: a person whose successful career ends abruptly

He was a spectacular failure …, a flameout.—Douglas S. Looney and Carlton Stowers

flame out

2 of 2

verb

flamed out; flaming out; flames out

intransitive verb

: to fail spectacularly and especially prematurely

a promising career that flamed out

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

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Noun

The Red Sox have experienced one flameout after another in recent years, from Brayan Bello to Triston Casas, Kristian Campbell to Marcelo Mayer. — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Frenchie's flameout was epic and hilarious, Derek X was astute and entertaining, and Claire easily could have been a serious contender on another season. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026

Verb

So, while this season began with storms named Arthur in June, followed by Bertha in July and Cristobal, which flared up and then flamed out quickly earlier this month, the latest storm brewing was already fated to be called Dolly. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2026 But whereas some other chillers have flamed out, this one comes with a true maestro of the form in Felix Barrett of the British company Punchdrunk. — Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 26 Aug. 2026 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

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

flame orange

flameout

flame out

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Flameout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flameout. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

flameout

noun

verb

Synonyms of flameout

Examples of flameout in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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flameout

noun

verb

Synonyms of flameout

Examples of flameout in a Sentence

Word History

Rhymes for flameout

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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