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

The scale of what they were going for blew people to kingdom come.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

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

“Potential disputes that your honor is alluding to are ones that will be litigated, as this case has been litigated, until kingdom come by my friends for the other side,” Shaffer said.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2023

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

From Washington Post • Mar. 15, 2019

The prayer went thus: Our Father, who art in heaven Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane