rear/raise its ugly head

idiom

used to say that something bad appears and causes trouble usually after not occurring for a period of time
Inflation threatened to rear its ugly head.
I knew that the leak we patched would eventually raise its ugly head.

Examples of rear/raise its ugly head 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.
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas But eventually reality has to rear its ugly head and the party has to end. New Atlas, 30 Apr. 2025 Stress can rear its ugly head when showing up as procrastination, overeating, or withdrawing from both social events and work colleagues. Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025 Taxpayers should be very worried that this horrible idea will rear its ugly head again. John Franklin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2025 In anticipatory selling, think pre-mortem versus post-mortem Don’t wait for failure to rear its ugly head. Renae Gregoire, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025 Unfortunately, real life can sometimes rear its ugly head and get in the way of what the fans and wrestlers want to happen. Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Apr. 2025 Winter is continuing to rear its ugly head this week across the Midwest and Northeast, courtesy of a potent storm that's forecast to spread a nasty mix of ice and snow Wednesday and Thursday. Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2025 With Auschwitz-Birkenau under the control of Poland, a country where antisemitism tragically continues to raise its ugly head, there is great concern that Shoah memory will be distorted. Avi Weiss, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2025 But the injury issue would raise its ugly head yet again. Tim Genske, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rear/raise its ugly head.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rear%2Fraise%20its%20ugly%20head. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

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