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good grief

Idioms  
  1. An exclamation expressing surprise, alarm, dismay, or some other, usually negative emotion. For example, Good grief! You're not going to start all over again, or Good grief! He's dropped the cake. The term is a euphemism for “good God.” [Early 1900s]


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.

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Nonetheless, finding good grief books was just plain confusing.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2022

Bloom: I've become friendly with Fran Drescher, and I've been talking to her about this because I was at the final sound mix and I was sobbing — it was a good grief.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2019

The United States had gone from 2-4, with Shuster still fumbling around in the curling woods, to wins over Canada, Switzerland, Great Britain and, good grief, Canada again.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 22, 2018

Not a lot of chances to wear a veil otherwise ... so if one wants to, good grief, do so and enjoy.

From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2016

"The origin of good grief," writes Suzie Dent Grant Cartledge.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 23, 2013

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