crash and burn

idiom

US, informal
: to fail completely
The company crashed and burned after only two years in business.

Examples of crash and burn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The internet is having great fun trashing Madame Web, the latest superhero blockbuster to crash and burn at the box office, a film seemingly made for no one. Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 But there was no way yet another adaptation of that richly mythological series could crash and burn so spectacularly, right? Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 Who is going to crash and burn and be the first one evicted? Dalton Ross, EW.com, 31 July 2023 Their crash and burn is inevitable from the start, not just to those who’ve seen the 1962 film the musical is based on, starring Jack Lemon and Lee Remick, but to anyone familiar with the concept of addiction. Naveen Kumar, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024 Some trailblazers crash and burn, leaving lessons for fast-followers, guiding them which paths to avoid and which to embrace. Sherzod Odilov, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 The organic, gluten-free oats in this granola bar deliver long-lasting energy (read: no crash and burn); combined with cage-free egg whites for protein, these 100-calorie travel bars are nutritiously sound, surprisingly filling, and seriously delicious. Jen Ator, Travel + Leisure, 15 Oct. 2023 The suspect or suspects shot gunfire at another vehicle on a highway, leading the car to crash and burn, the Larimer County Sheriff said in a release on X, formerly known as Twitter. Inyoung Choi, NBC News, 1 Sep. 2023 That’s a good example of wanting immersion at the gameplay level, and how the best intentions could crash and burn. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2023

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

Dictionary Entries Near crash and burn

Cite this Entry

“Crash and burn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crash%20and%20burn. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!