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
  • If that effort falls short, senators will move on to conducting the leadership elections themselves.
    — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Battery power falls short for long ocean journeys, and alternative fuels have long lacked certified supply chains.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of falls short
Phrase
  • In the scenario that Washington falls flat the rest of the season, the consequences could be widespread.
    — Tashan Reed, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Knowing what’s fresh is essential before putting in all the time and work into making a loaf that quite literally falls flat.
    — Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Martha Stewart, 3 Nov. 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Comes to grief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comes%20to%20grief. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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