coming a cropper

phrase

present participle of come a cropper
1
as in collapsing
to be unsuccessful To her disappointment, her plan came a cropper.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in falling short
to go wrong He tried to scale the fence but came a cropper.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for coming a cropper
  1. falling short
  2. falling flat
Phrase
  • Before the call, Sinclair reported mixed results for the April-to-June period, nipping analysts’ consensus revenue forecast but falling short of estimates for net losses per share.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The Galaxy Watch 9 matched its predecessor exactly, falling short of Samsung's estimate and lasting 26 hours with the always-on display enabled.
    — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of falling short
Phrase
  • But the execution was dead on arrival, with the whole thing falling flat on its face.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The trick to making the formula feel dynamic is mixing materials, as a blend of textures helps prevent your ensemble from falling flat.
    — Kelsey Stewart, Glamour, 10 July 2026
Definition of falling 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

coming about
coming a cropper
coming across
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Coming a cropper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coming%20a%20cropper. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All