go wrong
Idioms-
Go astray, make a mistake. For example, We made a left turn and somehow went wrong from then on , or You won't go wrong if you follow the directions in the dress pattern . [c. 1300]
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Take to evil ways, become a criminal, as in As soon as he turned thirteen, Billy fell in with a gang and began to go wrong . [c. 1500]
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Fail, turn out badly, as in Everything about this party has gone wrong . [Late 1500s]
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Fail to work properly, as in The car starts fine, but as soon as you put it in gear, the transmission goes wrong . [Late 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dimon told the Fox show that markets are unpredictable, but they could be reflecting worries that there’s a chance something could go wrong.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
There’s so much more that can go wrong.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
Private credit exhibits enough for us to scrutinize what could go wrong, especially in a broader shock such as rising oil prices and interest rates.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026
Even though I research extensively and pride myself on accuracy, without direct experience things go wrong.
From Slate • Mar. 28, 2026
“No, because I couldn’t, some of them. But I know I should. Things go wrong if they’re left open. And one that big...”
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
