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
  • The second question is cost behavior, meaning what the bill does when tool calls double and when agent volume falls short of the vendor’s assumptions.
    — Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • The National Rally party emerges as the largest single force in Parliament's powerful National Assembly, but falls short of an outright majority.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 July 2026
Definition of falls short
Phrase
  • The Song of Ice and Fire, passed down from one Targaryen king to another all these years, falls flat here.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 June 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 9 Jul. 2026.

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