comes to grief

phrase

present tense third-person singular of come to grief
1
as in collapses
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 falls 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 comes to grief
  1. falls short
  2. falls flat
Phrase
  • Under the terms of its settlement agreement, if Paramount falls short of its annual quotas, it’ll be fined $30 million per film, 90% of which will be paid out to film workers and 10% to the National Association of Attorneys General.
    — Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
  • When performance falls short, our instinct is often to add more training, information, oversight, processes or competency development.
    — Dr Natalie Callis, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of falls short
Phrase
  • But the fantasy-death quiz falls flat and feels more like a second defeat than a comedy tag.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Even the most beautiful design falls flat without function; true luxury lies in the way things move, open, and align.
    — Angelika Pokovba, Martha Stewart, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of falls 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

comes to
comes to grief
comes to grips with
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Cite this Entry

“Comes to grief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comes%20to%20grief. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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