come to grief

Idioms  

1. Meet with disaster or failure. For example, The icy runway caused at least one light plane to come to grief. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

Two oilmen would come to grief, more or less, in the 1920s.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2023

HAMILTON, Bermuda — Many a well-financed maritime expedition has come to grief through the centuries in the treacherous, deep blue waters off Bermuda.

From New York Times • Jun. 26, 2017

Around the world they have often borrowed and spent their way to short-term popularity, only to come to grief when the easy money runs out.

From Washington Post • Jan. 28, 2017

To the despair of their image-makers, some politicians' attempts to forge a bond with ordinary folk often come to grief.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2015

But without any light they would soon have come to grief.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien