COME TO GRIEF Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

come to grief

phrase

Definition of come to grief

as in collapse

to be unsuccessful His plans came to grief after a series of unforeseen setbacks.

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in fall short

to go wrong The expedition came to grief in the vast frozen expanse.

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for come to grief

Phrase

Local media footage showed people trapped on the roof of the five-floor building, enveloped in thick black smoke, while the spray from fire truck hoses fell short of flames showing through windows on its upper floors.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 July 2026
Hallums was required to introduce evidence which supported each and every element of all his causes of action, but his evidence fell short of that standard.

— Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of fall short

Phrase

But with Trump returning to office and previous Democratic attempts to rein in his power through impeachment falling flat, the kind of Trump accountability messages pushed by the incumbents didn’t stick among constituents.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 July 2026
Without proper governance for people, processes and technology, your ability to scale will fall flat.

— Saeed Amidi, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of fall flat

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come to

come to grief

come to grips with

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“Come to grief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/come%20to%20grief. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of come to grief

phrase

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