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.
In the eyes of the pros, the “little guy” is easily sold on the latest racket, and prone to panic when things go wrong.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
A guy who only knows how to go for broke, and always doubles down when things go wrong, has to stick to his guns or the whole shtick unravels.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
"People were quite scandalised, nervous, terrified about the possibility of what could potentially go wrong - bringing 50 lions to the Wiltshire countryside."
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
Here’s the story of an all-staff company getaway told by six people who were there, a trip where most everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
Max's eyes are wide and bright, too close to her simple wish to believe anything could go wrong now.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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.
