fiasco

1 of 2

noun (1)

fi·​as·​co fē-ˈa-(ˌ)skō How to pronounce fiasco (audio)
also
-ˈä- How to pronounce fiasco (audio)
plural fiascoes
: a complete failure
The critic called the film a fiasco.
… the total fiasco that was his personal life …Margaret Atwood

fiasco

2 of 2

noun (2)

fi·​as·​co fē-ˈä-(ˌ)skō How to pronounce fiasco (audio) -ˈa- How to pronounce fiasco (audio)
plural fiascoes also fiaschi fē-ˈä-(ˌ)skē How to pronounce fiasco (audio)
-ˈa-
: bottle, flask
especially : a bulbous long-necked straw-covered bottle for wine

Examples of fiasco in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Even better, tickets are a fair amount cheaper than those sold for the Glasgow fiasco — and there’s even a discount for children brave enough to face The Unknown. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 Company responds to 'fiasco' The company organizing the event, the House of Illuminati, released a statement. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2024 The fiasco over Messi’s no-show in Hong Kong has cost the match’s organizers millions of dollars. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 20 Feb. 2024 The Beeper Mini fiasco has already woken US regulators to the argument that Apple’s refusal to let iMessage talk to other platforms harms users and is anti-competitive. Zak Doffman, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024 Will Arizona's presidential preference election matter after Trump's wins in NH, Iowa? 'Gilbert Goons' fiasco has Arizonans reeling. Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 26 Jan. 2024 Between the torrential weather and language barrier, Dom, Cole and the Italians around them descend into a comical fiasco. Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan. 2024 After the Bell fiasco, however, major nonprofits like the Weingart Foundation — which Miguel A. Santana once headed — and the California Community Foundation took action. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 The Gemini fiasco was just one cog in an embarrassing week for the AI industry. William Gavin, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French, from Italian, from fare fiasco, literally, to make a bottle

Noun (2)

Italian, from Late Latin flasco bottle — more at flask

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1854, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1887, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fiasco was circa 1854

Dictionary Entries Near fiasco

Cite this Entry

“Fiasco.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiasco. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fiasco

noun
fi·​as·​co
fē-ˈas-kō
plural fiascoes
: a complete failure

More from Merriam-Webster on fiasco

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