: a state of disorder or disrepair
—used in the phrase on the fritz
One day the Internet connection at the house goes on the fritz [=stops working properly], so I go with the laptop to a cafe and ask if it has wireless.—
Joel Achenbach
Joel AchenbachExamples of fritz in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The presence of a backup driver is a cold comfort to someone who is injured, or loses a loved one, because an autonomous vehicle went on the fritz.
—Curtis Tate, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2024
Satellites, radio and GPS systems went on the fritz around the world, causing some major disruptions.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 11 May 2024
Read the full Gemini Daily Horoscope Cancer (June 22 - July 22)
Intuition on the fritz?
—USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
The evening truly goes on the fritz when Lilly, Torelli’s young Satanist, enters in a pinafore doing an unnervingly wonderful impersonation of an ordinary schoolgirl.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fritz 
Curtis Tate, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2024
Satellites, radio and GPS systems went on the fritz around the world, causing some major disruptions.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 11 May 2024
Read the full Gemini Daily Horoscope Cancer (June 22 - July 22)
Intuition on the fritz?
—USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
The evening truly goes on the fritz when Lilly, Torelli’s young Satanist, enters in a pinafore doing an unnervingly wonderful impersonation of an ordinary schoolgirl.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fritz
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fritz.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Fritz.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fritz. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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