woe to/betide

phrase

old-fashioned

—used as a warning that there will be trouble if someone does something specified

Woe betide anyone who enters here!

Woe to any student who is late for her class.

Examples of woe to/betide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And woe to those who accidentally supply the wrong bank account info–fixing those errors may require extra back-and-forth at a time when the agency has less capacity to respond. — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 8 Feb. 2026

Yet woe betide any of the sport’s experts who dare to suggest the dice may be even slightly loaded in India’s favour. — Paul Newman, New York Times, 18 June 2025

The advisee who feigns receptivity lays a terrible trap; woe to the adviser who does not think to step around it. — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

And woe betide the poor educator who, without first warning their students’ parents, makes a spontaneous remark that might offend someone’s religious beliefs. — Ian Millhiser, Vox, 15 Apr. 2025

So, woe to the Loews, but AFM should feel right at home there. — Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024

Disney recommends paying between 18% and 20% for service and woe betide anyone who tries to avoid that charge. — Caroline Reid, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

Influence can come from anywhere, and woe to those who don’t realize that. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2024