Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
verb
To fail miserably and with long-term consequences.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: idiomatic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: crash and burn
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see go, down, in, flames: descend while aflame, crash and burn, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: crash and burn
Antonyms: none provided
History
The figurative sense is by metaphor from the literal sense. Attested since the early 20th century, ever since aeroplanes appeared but especially since World War I, when shooting them out of the sky first became a widespread thing.
