come to grief
Meet with disaster
Come to grief means to fail, suffer misfortune, or end badly.
Plans come to grief when they fall apart; people come to grief when their ventures collapse or they meet with disaster: The expedition came to grief when their supplies ran out.
The phrase suggests an outcome worse than mere failure—something has gone genuinely wrong.
- bite the dustFail or perish utterly
- meet one's WaterlooExperience decisive, final defeat
- go down in flamesFail utterly and visibly
- unravelSeparate intertwined strands
- shipwreckDestroyed vessel at sea
crash and burn · miscarry · collapse · fall apart · downfall · founder · hit the skids · fall through · end in tears · misfortune · ruin · fail · go wrong · run aground · disaster · go pear-shaped · defeat · bad luck
come to griefprosper
Succeed and flourish
flourish · be blessed · catch a break · thrive · strike it rich
come to griefgo from strength to strength
Progress with mounting success
take off · get off the ground · hit one's stride · gain traction · blossom
come, grief, coming, came, grieve, comes, grievance, grieving, comer