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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
  • Access to mental health services also fell short of benchmarks, and some foster kids are still sleeping in child welfare offices and other unlicensed centers because other, more secure placements weren’t available, the report showed.
    — Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The agreement fell short of some of the changes Bonta had been pushing for, including requiring Paramount to divest some cable channels.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell short
Phrase
  • 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
  • Challenges to General Assembly incumbents fell flat Anti-incumbent sentiment didn't trickle down to the General Assembly, where the small number of incumbents facing primary challenges all held on to their seats.
    — Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 10 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Came to grief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/came%20to%20grief. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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