Meaning & use
fritz
Last updated
A state of malfunction or erratic operation, used almost exclusively in the phrase "on the fritz."
See it in a sentence
The old television has been on the fritz since the storm knocked out power.
My laptop's fan keeps going on the fritz whenever the room gets warm.
A note on using this word
Almost always appears in the fixed phrase "on the fritz"; its origin is uncertain, though one theory ties it to early 20th-century slang mocking German engineering.
Words with a similar meaning
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