English

Verb

peter out ‎(third-person singular simple present peters out, present participle petering out, simple past and past participle petered out)

1. (idiomatic) To dwindle; to tail off; to diminish to nothing.

   What started as a great effort ended up petering out to nothing.

Translations

References

1. ↑ “peter out” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).
2. ↑ “peter out”, The Phrase Finder, Gary Martin.
3. ↑ ami: origin of “peter out”
4. ↑ Take Our Word For It #117
5. ↑ A Hog On Ice & Other Curious Expressions, Charles Funk, 1948.