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

Cutler’s film begins to peter out in its final moments (the forging of Stewart’s highly unexpected bond with Snoop Dogg could foster its own film), but the trip there is certainly fascinating. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2024

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