flames out

verb

present tense third-person singular of flame out
as in fails
to be unsuccessful even at the reception, some were predicting that the marriage would flame out before the fancy china ever got used

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of flames out Nothing majorly dramatic happens, no one flames out in the kitchen, no dish is an absolute failure. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 June 2026 Wings that shot flames out of them. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026 And maybe Kiffin wins huge at LSU while Sumrall flames out in three years. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026 Beijing is working to engineer China’s technological and industrial dominance, backing Russia in a destabilizing war in Europe, and generally setting the stage to achieve global supremacy when the United States flames out. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026 Firefighters instead used heavy equipment to cover it with dirt to put the flames out. — Brandon Downs, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026 Our dream of going back to the moon and onto Mars and more distant worlds—not least to ensure our species’ survival before the sun flames out and engulfs most of the solar system—can be seen as just one more step in evolution’s long march. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flames out
  1. fails
  2. collapses
  3. flops
  4. strikes out
  5. folds
  6. bombs
  7. misses
  8. struggles
Verb
  • Overrun with puzzling plot points, several cameos and a bloated supporting cast, the series fails to stick the landing.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026
  • However, net job creation fails to account for the need to replace retiring workers, Sigelman says.
    — Itzel Franco, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of fails
Verb
  • Emmanuel Marre | Belgium | 155 min Cannes Best Screenplay winner A MAN OF HIS TIME stars ANATOMY OF A FALL’s Swann Arlaud as a Vichy civil servant whose faith in government collapses amid collaboration, bureaucracy, and moral surrender.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Single-pressing the button collapses the view to show only the arrow and distance to the next turn, while double-pressing the button expands the view to show a map with the full route across the bottom half of the display.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of collapses
Verb
  • In Bait, Ahmed stars as struggling actor Shah Latif, who flops in his audition to play James Bond and then becomes consumed by the quest to become the first Pakistani 007.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Starter addition flops Last season’s trade deadline wound up being a big flop.
    — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of flops
Verb
  • The ruling strikes out a significant piece of evidence for prosecutors as the case moves toward trial.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Why the quest will fall short And finally Shohei Ohtani hits three homers and strikes out 10 in Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Definition of strikes out
Verb
  • Once the protein folds into its final form, the backbone will describe the protein’s overall shape.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Her body shakes uncontrollably and her neck folds forward, making eye contact impossible.
    — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of folds
Verb
  • The campus is eerily silent, even as Israel attacks Lebanon and the United States bombs Iran.
    — Jonathan Zimmerman, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2026
  • The United States bombs Iran's nuclear facilities days later.
    — Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 1 Mar. 2026
Definition of bombs
Verb
  • But for the short-term, Maurice appears open to seeing how that line produces if Barkov misses time.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • In other words, my comparison of FEWOCiOUS to Peter Saul probably misses the point.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of misses
Verb
  • Not only does Jeong-yo have an emotional connection to his music performance that Pi-o struggles to find himself, but Pi-o has injured his pinky in the leadup to the final performance, thanks to his obsessive practicing.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • As someone who struggles with the dizzying effects of altitude, I was quickly reminded of Santa Fe’s 7,000-foot elevation.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggles

Browse Nearby Words

flames
flames out
flaming
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Cite this Entry

“Flames out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flames%20out. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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