make matters worse

idiom

: to make a situation worse
He laughed at her and then, to make matters worse, he accused her of lying!

Examples of make matters worse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
To make matters worse, Smith-Njigba fumbled on a screen pass in the fourth quarter, leading to a score-tying field goal drive by the 49ers. Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025 Following the interview, the journalist, Federica Polidoro, made a statement on her Instagram that seemed to only make matters worse. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025 To make matters worse, the team may have also lost a star player for the season. James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025 To make matters worse, those injury setbacks occurred within a two-month window. Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for make matters worse

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Make matters worse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20matters%20worse. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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!