go wrong
idiom
1
: to happen or proceed in a way that causes a bad result
We have to figure out what went wrong with the experiment.
Everything is going wrong for me today.
When she didn't come back, we feared that something had gone horribly wrong.
2
: to make a mistake
I followed the instructions to the letter and the computer still doesn't work. Where did I go wrong?
"I don't know what to order." "Their clam chowder is good. You can't go wrong with there."
Examples of go wrong in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There are many ways this might go wrong.
—
Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
Marinakis is a man who is more than happy to take the credit for things that go right — of which there have been plenty over the years — but less keen to publicly take the blame when things go wrong.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Kisilevych noted that some Ukrainians are promised that if things go wrong, they will be exchanged for Ukrainian citizens held as prisoners of war by Russia.
—Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Flying in the face of male arrogance and the city’s penchant for beer and Brazil’s national drink, the caipirinha, Isabel opens a small neighborhood wine, called Os Rejeitados (The Rejects) and specializing in natural wine… what could possibly go wrong?
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for go wrong
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Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
Marinakis is a man who is more than happy to take the credit for things that go right — of which there have been plenty over the years — but less keen to publicly take the blame when things go wrong.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Kisilevych noted that some Ukrainians are promised that if things go wrong, they will be exchanged for Ukrainian citizens held as prisoners of war by Russia.
—Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Flying in the face of male arrogance and the city’s penchant for beer and Brazil’s national drink, the caipirinha, Isabel opens a small neighborhood wine, called Os Rejeitados (The Rejects) and specializing in natural wine… what could possibly go wrong?
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for go wrong
Cite this Entry
“Go wrong.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20wrong. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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