came to grief

phrase

past tense of come to grief
1
as in collapsed
to be unsuccessful His plans came to grief after a series of unforeseen setbacks.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fell short
to go wrong The expedition came to grief in the vast frozen expanse.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for came to grief
  1. fell short
  2. fell flat
Phrase
  • Despite being Germany’s most advanced nuclear pile, B8 fell short of the critical 100% mark even as Allied forces marched on the German capital.
    — Mike McRae October 06, New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Messi just fell short of winning back-to-back World Cups when defending champion Argentina was beaten by Spain 1-0 in the final in July in New Jersey.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of fell short
Phrase
  • The deal is Novo’s second since its investor day last week, when its pledges to boost growth with new drugs fell flat.
    — Ed Silverman, STAT, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, the administration has proposed cutting more than 9,400 of my fellow workers and launched a new effort to privatize TSA — Horizon 25 — after the TSA Gold+ privatization campaign fell flat.
    — Hydrick Thomas, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell flat
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.

Browse Nearby Words

came to
came to grief
came to grips with
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Cite this Entry

“Came to grief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/came%20to%20grief. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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