as in collapsing
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 flaming out
Despite missing the playoffs with a 42-40 record and flaming out of the Play-In Tournament against the Golden State Warriors, the Clippers did not have their own first-round pick, part of the cost for the 2019 swap of 2018 lottery pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 2019 MVP finalist Paul George.
—
Law Murray, New York Times, 11 May 2026
With a growing number of rookie quarterbacks struggling and flaming out in recent years, the Raiders, who have only had one quarterback start 10 or more games in consecutive seasons in the last two decades (Derek Carr), likely want to play Mendoza’s development safe.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Swinging a big trade can be the difference in a team winning a championship or flaming out early in the playoffs.
—Mike Barner, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Jack Harper, back working in his hometown after flaming out elsewhere, living as the responsible adult with an adorable little niece and her depressed, alcoholic mother, Zoe (Marin Ireland).
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
After the first two films, the series switched hands to seasoned parody veterans David Zucker and Pat Proft before flaming out with the fifth entry in 2013.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
The left side of their line is a huge question mark between tackle and guard, where Kingsley Suamataia might settle after flaming out at tackle.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
Law Murray, New York Times, 11 May 2026
With a growing number of rookie quarterbacks struggling and flaming out in recent years, the Raiders, who have only had one quarterback start 10 or more games in consecutive seasons in the last two decades (Derek Carr), likely want to play Mendoza’s development safe.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Swinging a big trade can be the difference in a team winning a championship or flaming out early in the playoffs.
—Mike Barner, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Jack Harper, back working in his hometown after flaming out elsewhere, living as the responsible adult with an adorable little niece and her depressed, alcoholic mother, Zoe (Marin Ireland).
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
After the first two films, the series switched hands to seasoned parody veterans David Zucker and Pat Proft before flaming out with the fifth entry in 2013.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
The left side of their line is a huge question mark between tackle and guard, where Kingsley Suamataia might settle after flaming out at tackle.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flaming out
Verb
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There have been 22 reports of the stools collapsing, with six injuries, including bruising and scrapes.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Cuba’s economy, which has been in a steep decline for several years, has hit rock bottom, and the population has been enduring shortages, blackouts and the effects of collapsing infrastructure.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The president pressed Nigeria last fall to take more action against terrorism, accusing the country of failing to deal with rampant violence against Christians.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
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Their father, Nahuel (Amién), flits from one romantic affair to another, failing to recognize his shortcomings the way fathers typically forget minor yet significant details, like mistaking his younger daughter’s shoe size or never delivering on his promise to have the sink fixed.—
Lé Baltar,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Meyer gave up just three hits and walked two while striking out six over six shutout innings to continue a stellar start to the season.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
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Betts collected one hit in his five at-bats Monday, striking out with a runner on third in the third inning to stifle one of the Dodgers’ early chances against Giants starter Trevor McDonald.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Trimming by half will keep the foliage from completely flopping over and retaining too much moisture around the crown.—
Marie Iannotti,
The Spruce,
9 May 2026
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Much of the discussion following the game is about flopping and supposed favorable whistles for the Thunder.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Online, this generally meant that creators encouraged their followers to pair a healthy habit with a fun or existing one (scrolling while walking on the treadmill, for example) or to just link two good behaviors together (folding laundry between breaks of your at-home workout).—
Julia Landwehr,
Health,
18 May 2026
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It is still barely decorated, just a corkboard pinned with photos of the boys and a folding table covered with stacks of reports.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Is an important event missing from this date?—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
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You could be forgiven for missing the name.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Andrew Tate is not washing out.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
11 Mar. 2026
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Tiny water droplets can scatter light, washing out the vivid reds and oranges.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Many libraries’ orders went unfulfilled, and all but the largest ones were left struggling to get popular titles to their patrons.—
Adeel Hassan,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
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Across Oahu’s North Shore, an area famed for its big-wave surfing, the small farms that help supply the island’s food are struggling after back-to-back storms in March brought the state’s worst flooding in two decades.—
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flaming out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flaming%20out. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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