peter out
Lose steam slowly
To peter out is to gradually diminish and come to an end: The trail petered out after a few miles, Her enthusiasm petered out by the third week.
The phrase suggests a slow fading rather than an abrupt stop—energy, resources, or momentum dwindling until nothing remains.
Decrease gradually over time
- waneDecrease gradually
- taper offReduce gradually in intensity
- ebbGradual retreat seaward
- subsideDecrease in intensity
fade · diminish · decline · trail off · wind down · die down · fizzle out · taper
dwindle
Decrease gradually over time
subside · fade · diminish · decline · trail off · wind down · die down · fizzle out · taper · run dry
fizzle
Fail after promising start
sputter · misfire · collapse · fall flat · come to nothing · go nowhere · dead-end · abort · founder · bust
deplete
Greatly reduce supply
dry up · empty · use up · spend · consume · burn out · tap out · wear out · give out · run short
- diminishingabate, decrease, diminish, dwindle, ebb
- fizzle outtaper off, dwindle, wane, die away, ebb
- exhaustionexhaustion, burn out, drained, spent, tired
- vanishingdisappearance, vanish, vanishing, disappear, fading
- gold mininggold pan, pan, panning, nuggets, gold nugget
- calming downcalmed, relaxed, chilled, settled, mellowed
peter outbuild up
Grow by increments
intensify · escalate · ramp up · surge · pick up steam
peter outpersist
Continue firmly onward
endure · carry on · keep going · sustain · continue
peter outclimax
Point of greatest intensity
culminate · come to a head · peak · go out with a bang · explode
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