kingdom come

American  

noun

1. the next world; the hereafter; heaven.

2. Informal. a place or future time seemingly very remote.

   You could keep it up till kingdom come.

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kingdom come British  

noun

1. the next world; life after death

2. informal the end of the world (esp in the phrase until kingdom come )

3. informal unconsciousness or death

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kingdom come Cultural  

1. The next world; the afterlife: “The superpowers have enough nuclear warheads to blow the entire world to kingdom come.” An allusion to the Lord's Prayer: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.”

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Etymology

Origin of kingdom come

First recorded in 1775–85; extracted from the phrase Thy kingdom come in the Lord's Prayer

Example Sentences

Or to be enjoyed by “viewers” too busy scrolling, texting, shopping, playing Roblox and Fortnite, and blowing targets to kingdom come on “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

OUR Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done; In earth as it is in heaven.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2022

Most recently I had a huge amount of recycling cardboard stuff, put it out and crossed my fingers that the nasty high wind would not blow it from here to kingdom come.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 21, 2022

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” she intoned in unaccented English.

From Washington Post • Mar. 15, 2019

“Why you think I drove all the way out here to kingdom come, just to burn gas?”

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett