Understanding idioms related to failure can enrich your English language skills, making your communication more expressive and engaging. In this post, we’ll explore 20 idioms that vividly describe different aspects of failure, each with a brief meaning and an example sentence.
Idioms That Describe Failure
1. Fall Flat
Meaning: To fail completely.
Example: His joke fell flat and no one laughed.
2. Bite the Dust
Meaning: To fail or be defeated.
Example: Many startups bite the dust within a year.
3. Come a Cropper
Meaning: To fail disastrously.
Example: He came a cropper in his final exams.
4. Drop the Ball
Meaning: To make a mistake or fail.
Example: She dropped the ball on the project deadline.
5. Go Belly Up
Meaning: To fail or go bankrupt.
Example: The company went belly up last year.
6. Hit the Wall
Meaning: To reach a point of failure.
Example: He hit the wall during the marathon.
7. Miss the Mark
Meaning: To fail to achieve a goal.
Example: His proposal missed the mark with the board.
8. Bomb Out
Meaning: To fail badly.
Example: The movie bombed out at the box office.
9. Come to Grief
Meaning: To experience failure or trouble.
Example: His plans came to grief after the accident.
10. Crash and Burn
Meaning: To fail spectacularly.
Example: Their business crashed and burned within months.
11. Fall by the Wayside
Meaning: To fail to continue.
Example: Many students fall by the wayside in tough courses.
12. Flop
Meaning: To fail badly.
Example: The product launch was a complete flop.
13. Lay an Egg
Meaning: To fail or be unsuccessful.
Example: His speech laid an egg with the audience.
14. Strike Out
Meaning: To fail or be unsuccessful.
Example: He struck out in his job interview.
15. Take a Dive
Meaning: To fail or fall.
Example: The stock market took a dive yesterday.
16. Throw in the Towel
Meaning: To give up or fail.
Example: He threw in the towel after many attempts.
17. Draw a Blank
Meaning: To fail to get an answer or result.
Example: She drew a blank on the final question.
18. Come to Nothing
Meaning: To fail to achieve anything.
Example: His efforts came to nothing in the end.
19. Fall Short
Meaning: To fail to meet expectations.
Example: The performance fell short of our expectations.
20. Go Down in Flames
Meaning: To fail spectacularly.
Example: His attempt to impress her went down in flames.
