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
Pryce Cahill was a major player on the tour earlier in his career before a personal tragedy led to his flameout. Nina Metz Chicago Tribune, Boston Herald, 5 June 2025 Jack Leiter looks more like a blowtorch and less like a flameout. Levi Weaver, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
When Elon Musk attached himself to Trump during Trump’s presidential transition last fall, there was great speculation that these two massive egos would, eventually, clash and that their strategic partnership would flame out spectacularly. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 6 June 2025 Or maybe Winston will continue his maddening penchant for interceptions that led the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft to flame out in Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Cleveland. Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 22 Mar. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Flameout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flameout. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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