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.

---

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

---

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.”

---

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

In Sixers-land, kingdom come, kingdom go, all at the whim of an unhappy star.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2021

“It’s part of a Bible verse. Matthew 6:10. It says, ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done.’”

From Salon • Aug. 30, 2018

But 15 years later, a local ne'er-do-well almost blasted the mural to kingdom come.

From BBC • Aug. 6, 2017

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

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett