wheels come/fall off

phrase

informal

—used to say that someone or something fails in a sudden or unexpected way

The pitcher was doing well for the first four innings, then the wheels fell off in the fifth.

Examples of wheels come/fall off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mike Elko almost saw the wheels come off last time out when Arkansas threatened an upset of the SEC pace-setter, who held on to keep the perfect season alive. — Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025

The team could be in the market for a frontline starter like Dylan Cease or Framber Valdez after its rotation saw the wheels fall off in the second half of the season. — Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Oct. 2025

Literally anyone who can ride a bike can hoist a beaut by pressing a little button by your throttle and ride it out until the wheels fall off or the battery dies. — Joe Salas august 01, New Atlas, 1 Aug. 2025

Image Image The wheels come off Global stocks have run into a ditch on Thursday. — Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025

Mia is too busy trying to ride her lies until the wheels fall off to be invested in the drama around Stacey’s event. — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 27 Jan. 2025

However, when the wheels fall off, clawing everything back proves grueling. — Henry Flynn, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024

During that race, two cars left the pits only to have one of their rear wheels come off. — Roberto Baldwin, Ars Technica, 22 Dec. 2024