30 Idioms for Failure

Today, we’re diving into the whimsical and often humorous language of failure – idioms that add a splash of color to the canvas of our misadventures.

So, fasten your seatbelts, and let’s explore the myriad ways one can “hit the skids” or “go down the tubes” without losing our sense of humor.

Idioms for Failure

Hit the Skids

Meaning: To experience a sudden and significant decline or failure.

In a Sentence: After the market crashed, his once-thriving business hit the skids, leaving him scrambling for a new strategy.

Bite the Dust

Meaning: To suffer defeat or failure, often in a dramatic or final manner.

In a Sentence: Despite the team’s valiant efforts, they had to bite the dust in the championship match, ending their winning streak.

Go Down the Tubes

Meaning: To fail or deteriorate irreversibly.

In a Sentence: The ambitious project went down the tubes when the funding was unexpectedly withdrawn.

Fall Flat on One’s Face

Meaning: To fail completely, especially in a public or embarrassing manner.

In a Sentence: His attempt at stand-up comedy fell flat on his face when the audience remained unresponsive to his jokes.

Throw in the Towel

Meaning: To give up or surrender; to admit defeat.

In a Sentence: After hours of trying to fix the broken computer, he finally threw in the towel and called for professional help.

Miss the Boat

Meaning: To fail to take advantage of an opportunity; to be too late.

In a Sentence: I missed the boat on investing in that startup, and now it’s become a billion-dollar company.

Drop the Ball

Meaning: To make a mistake or fail to do something important.

In a Sentence: The project’s success hinged on effective teamwork, but unfortunately, someone dropped the ball, causing delays.

Strike Out

Meaning: To fail in an endeavor, often in the context of sports or dating.

In a Sentence: Despite his impressive record, the star player struck out three times in a row during the crucial game.

Meet One’s Waterloo

Meaning: To face a final, overwhelming defeat.

In a Sentence: The once-mighty empire met its Waterloo in the face of economic collapse and internal strife.

Go Belly Up

Meaning: To go bankrupt or out of business.

In a Sentence: The small bookstore, facing tough competition from online retailers, eventually went belly up.

Fall by the Wayside

Meaning: To be abandoned or neglected, often due to lack of support.

In a Sentence: In the pursuit of new technologies, traditional methods sometimes fall by the wayside.

Sink Like a Lead Balloon

Meaning: To fail miserably or be extremely unsuccessful.

In a Sentence: His attempt at humor during the serious meeting sank like a lead balloon, earning him stern glares from colleagues.

Come a Cropper

Meaning: To fail or fall suddenly and heavily.

In a Sentence: Attempting a daring stunt without proper preparation, he came a cropper, landing in the hospital with multiple injuries.

Go Up in Smoke

Meaning: To fail dramatically or to be ruined.

In a Sentence: All their efforts to save the historic building went up in smoke when a massive fire engulfed it.

Go Pear-Shaped

Meaning: To go wrong or become a disaster.

In a Sentence: What seemed like a promising business venture quickly went pear-shaped due to unforeseen challenges.

End Up in the Gutter

Meaning: To fail spectacularly, often leading to a state of poverty or despair.

In a Sentence: After a series of bad decisions, his once successful career ended up in the gutter.

Trip Over One’s Own Feet

Meaning: To be the cause of one’s own failure or downfall.

In a Sentence: In trying to outsmart his opponent, he tripped over his own feet, resulting in a humiliating defeat.

Burn One’s Bridges

Meaning: To destroy one’s relationships or opportunities, making a return difficult.

In a Sentence: By publicly criticizing his colleagues, he unknowingly burned his bridges, making collaboration impossible.

Go Down the Drain

Meaning: To fail or be wasted, often referring to efforts or resources.

In a Sentence: Months of hard work went down the drain when the project was unexpectedly canceled.

Hit a Brick Wall

Meaning: To encounter an insurmountable obstacle or barrier.

In a Sentence: Despite their innovative ideas, the startup hit a brick wall when they couldn’t secure necessary funding.

Draw a Blank

Meaning: To be unable to recall or think of something.

In a Sentence: During the exam, he drew a blank when trying to remember the key formula, leading to a lower grade.

Fizzle Out

Meaning: To gradually lose strength or interest, often resulting in failure.

In a Sentence: The once-popular trend eventually fizzled out as newer, more exciting options emerged.

Go Up in Flames

Meaning: To fail spectacularly or destructively.

In a Sentence: The ambitious plan to revolutionize the industry went up in flames when internal conflicts emerged.

Be a Dead Duck

Meaning: To be doomed or destined for failure.

In a Sentence: The outdated technology proved to be a dead duck in the rapidly evolving market.

Bite Off More Than One Can Chew

Meaning: To take on more responsibility or challenges than one can handle.

In a Sentence: In their enthusiasm for the project, they bit off more than they could chew, leading to burnout.

Go Over Like a Lead Balloon

Meaning: To be received poorly or fail to impress.

In a Sentence: His attempt at a new management strategy went over like a lead balloon, causing discontent among the team.

Crash and Burn

Meaning: To fail disastrously or come to a swift and complete end.

In a Sentence: The risky investment had the potential for great returns but ended up crashing and burning, leaving investors with heavy losses.

Go Off the Rails

Meaning: To lose control or go astray, often in a chaotic manner.

In a Sentence: The company’s expansion plans went off the rails when the CEO abruptly resigned, causing uncertainty among stakeholders.

Miss the Mark

Meaning: To fail to meet expectations or achieve a goal.

In a Sentence: Despite their efforts, the advertising campaign missed the mark, failing to resonate with the target audience.

Run Out of Steam

Meaning: To lose energy, momentum, or enthusiasm, resulting in failure.

In a Sentence: The once-exciting project ran out of steam as team members grew weary of the constant challenges.

Gain profound insights into the complexities of setbacks with metaphors that paint a vivid picture of failure.

Additionally, explore subtle comparisons through similes for failure to enhance your understanding of adversity. For a comprehensive exploration, visit Metaphors for Failure and Similes for Failure.

Summary

Idiom	Meaning	Example Sentence
Hit the Skids	Sudden and significant decline or failure	After the market crashed, his business hit the skids, leaving him scrambling for a new strategy.
Bite the Dust	Suffer defeat or failure in a dramatic manner	Despite the team’s efforts, they had to bite the dust in the championship match, ending their streak.
Go Down the Tubes	Irreversible failure or deterioration	The ambitious project went down the tubes when funding was unexpectedly withdrawn.
Fall Flat on One’s Face	Fail completely, often in a public or embarrassing manner	His attempt at stand-up comedy fell flat on his face when the audience remained unresponsive.
Throw in the Towel	Give up or surrender; admit defeat	After hours of trying to fix the computer, he finally threw in the towel and called for help.
Miss the Boat	Fail to take advantage of an opportunity; be too late	I missed the boat on investing in that startup, and now it’s a billion-dollar company.
Drop the Ball	Make a mistake or fail to do something important	The project’s success hinged on teamwork, but someone dropped the ball, causing delays.
Strike Out	Fail in an endeavor, often in sports or dating	Despite his record, the star player struck out three times in a row during the crucial game.
Meet One’s Waterloo	Face a final, overwhelming defeat	The once-mighty empire met its Waterloo in economic collapse and internal strife.
Go Belly Up	Go bankrupt or out of business	The small bookstore, facing tough competition, eventually went belly up.
Fall by the Wayside	Be abandoned or neglected due to lack of support	In the pursuit of new technologies, traditional methods sometimes fall by the wayside.
Sink Like a Lead Balloon	Fail miserably or be extremely unsuccessful	His attempt at humor during the meeting sank like a lead balloon, earning stern glares.
Come a Cropper	Fail or fall suddenly and heavily	Attempting a daring stunt without preparation, he came a cropper, landing in the hospital.
Go Up in Smoke	Fail dramatically or be ruined	All efforts to save the historic building went up in smoke when a massive fire engulfed it.
Go Pear-Shaped	Go wrong or become a disaster	What seemed like a promising business venture quickly went pear-shaped due to unforeseen challenges.
End Up in the Gutter	Fail spectacularly, often leading to poverty or despair	After bad decisions, his successful career ended up in the gutter.
Trip Over One’s Own Feet	Be the cause of one’s own failure or downfall	In trying to outsmart his opponent, he tripped over his own feet, resulting in a humiliating defeat.
Burn One’s Bridges	Destroy relationships or opportunities, making a return difficult	Publicly criticizing colleagues, he burned his bridges, making collaboration impossible.
Go Down the Drain	Fail or be wasted, often referring to efforts or resources	Months of hard work went down the drain when the project was unexpectedly canceled.
Hit a Brick Wall	Encounter an insurmountable obstacle or barrier	Despite innovative ideas, the startup hit a brick wall when they couldn’t secure necessary funding.
Draw a Blank	Be unable to recall or think of something	During the exam, he drew a blank when trying to remember the key formula, leading to a lower grade.
Fizzle Out	Gradually lose strength or interest, often resulting in failure	The once-popular trend eventually fizzled out as newer, more exciting options emerged.
Go Up in Flames	Fail spectacularly or destructively	The ambitious plan to revolutionize the industry went up in flames when internal conflicts emerged.
Be a Dead Duck	Be doomed or destined for failure	The outdated technology proved to be a dead duck in the rapidly evolving market.
Bite Off More Than One Can Chew	Take on more responsibility or challenges than one can handle	In their enthusiasm, they bit off more than they could chew, leading to burnout.
Go Over Like a Lead Balloon	Be received poorly or fail to impress	His attempt at a new management strategy went over like a lead balloon, causing discontent.
Crash and Burn	Fail disastrously or come to a swift and complete end	The risky investment had great potential but ended up crashing and burning, leaving heavy losses.
Go Off the Rails	Lose control or go astray, often in a chaotic manner	The company’s expansion plans went off the rails when the CEO abruptly resigned, causing uncertainty.
Miss the Mark	Fail to meet expectations or achieve a goal	Despite efforts, the advertising campaign missed the mark, failing to resonate with the target audience.
Run Out of Steam	Lose energy, momentum, or enthusiasm, resulting in failure	The once-exciting project ran out of steam as team members grew weary of constant challenges.

Conclusion

In the unpredictable journey of life, these idioms for failure add a touch of humor to the inevitable missteps we encounter. Whether you’re hitting the skids, biting the dust, or going down the tubes, remember that failure is often a stepping stone to success.