Phrase guide

go wrong

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To worsen; to fail or go amiss; to have a bad outcome.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, intransitive

Examples

  • Everything seems to be going very badly wrong today.
  • If you want good weather, you can't go wrong with Spain.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: atrophy, break down, crack, decline, deteriorate, degenerate, devolve, confound, fade, fall off, go bad, go downhill, go left, go off, go pear-shaped, go sideways, go south, go to hell, go to pot, go to seed, go to the dogs, go wrong, lapse, molder, pejorate, retrograde, suffer, spend, sweal, shrivel, tabefy, wither, wither away, wane, wanse, worsen

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To malfunction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, intransitive

Examples

  • The vending machine went wrong and dispensed five cans of drink at once.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To become wicked or depraved.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: break bad, go bad, go to the bad, stray

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

be unsuccessful

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Where do today's public schools fail?
  • The attempt to rescue the hostages failed miserably

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fail, miscarry

Antonyms: none provided

Narrower terms: take it on the chin, miss, overreach, botch, bodge, bumble, fumble, botch up, muff, blow, flub, screw up, ball up, spoil, muck up, bungle, fluff, bollix, bollix up, bollocks, bollocks up, bobble, mishandle, louse up, foul up, mess up, fuck up, strike out, fall, shipwreck, fall through, fall flat, founder, flop

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: mennä pieleen — to fail
  • Finnish: epäonnistua — to fail
  • Finnish: mennä mönkään — to fail
  • French: mal tourner — to fail
  • German: schiefgehen — to fail
  • German: schieflaufen — to fail
  • Hebrew: השתבש (hishtabésh) — to fail
  • Hebrew: התפקשש (hitfakshésh) — to fail
  • Hungarian: félresikerül — to fail
  • Icelandic: fara úrskeiðis — to fail
  • Italian: finire male — to fail
  • Māori: takahē — to fail
  • Portuguese: dar errado — to fail
  • Sicilian: finiri a frocia — to fail
  • Sicilian: finiri a jocu di focu — to fail
  • Spanish: ir mal — to fail
  • Welsh: mynd o'i le — to fail
  • Finnish: hajota — to malfunction
  • Finnish: mennä rikki — to malfunction
  • Finnish: mennä epäkuntoon — to malfunction
  • Hungarian: elromlik — to malfunction
  • Ngazidja Comorian: undjia shonga — to become depraved
  • Finnish: turmeltua — to become depraved
  • Finnish: mennä rappiolle — to become depraved
  • French: mal tourner — to become depraved
  • Icelandic: víkja af réttri leið — to become depraved