peter out

phrasal verb

petered out; petering out; peters out

informal

: to gradually become smaller, weaker, or less before stopping or ending

Their romantic relationship petered out after the summer.

Interest in the sport is beginning to peter out.

Examples of peter out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Below the surface of the ocean, the invisible waterfalls near Iceland and Greenland would peter out. —

Sandra Upson, WIRED, 25 July 2024 After all, how many romance flicks peter out by the 75-minute mark? —

James Mercadante, Ilana Gordon, Stephanie Kaloi, EW.com, 25 July 2024 But interstate wars that have reached this level of intensity do not tend to simply peter out without negotiations. —

Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2023 Although skies can look downright apocalyptic during this time, as the smoke peters out in April, a must-experience cultural festival happens throughout Thailand: Songkran, a.k.a. —

Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 9 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for peter out

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'peter out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.