go wrong
Americanphrase
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to malfunction; to interfere with a process so that it fails (usually used with the indefinite subject something).
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to take an incorrect path or turn so as to become lost.
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to make an unwise choice or decision or apply faulty logic, leading to a bad conclusion or course of action.
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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.
And there will be no hiding place for TFG and Kinnear should things now go wrong.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
The boss-who-lets-loose act may land well with some, but it can easily go wrong.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
When things go wrong, like they did in this case, he’ll reevaluate, he said, even if it leaves him with egg on his face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
But things could still go wrong, especially in the 2030s.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
But that didn't matter—and anyway nothing would go wrong.
From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie
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.
