Failure is a part of life—and while it doesn’t feel great in the moment, it can teach us valuable lessons. One way to better understand and talk about failure is by learning idioms. These colorful expressions don’t always mean exactly what they say, but they give us fun, creative ways to describe tough situations.
Idioms for failure help us express disappointment, mistakes, or setbacks with clarity—and sometimes even with humor. Whether you missed a deadline, made a mistake, or had something go wrong, these phrases help you talk about it like a language pro. And the best part? These idioms are used in everyday conversations, so they’ll come in handy at school, work, or with friends.
In this post, you’ll explore 45 idioms that are all about failure. For each idiom, you’ll find its meaning, a sentence that shows how it’s used, and other simple ways to say the same thing. By the end, you’ll have a stronger vocabulary—and maybe even a better way to laugh off your next “oops” moment.
Idioms for Failure
1. Miss the boat
Meaning: To miss an opportunity.
In a Sentence: I wanted to apply for the scholarship, but I missed the boat because the deadline passed last week.
Other Ways to Say: Missed a chance, Too late
2. Drop the ball
Meaning: To make a mistake or fail to do something important.
In a Sentence: I really dropped the ball by forgetting to email the project files to my teacher.
Other Ways to Say: Messed up, Failed to follow through
3. Go down in flames
Meaning: To fail spectacularly or dramatically.
In a Sentence: Our science experiment went down in flames when the volcano model exploded too early.
Other Ways to Say: Failed big time, Totally flopped
4. Fall flat
Meaning: To fail to produce the desired result.
In a Sentence: My joke fell flat, and nobody in the room even smiled.
Other Ways to Say: Didn’t work, Wasn’t successful
5. Hit a brick wall
Meaning: To stop making progress due to an obstacle.
In a Sentence: I was doing great with my essay until I hit a brick wall and couldn’t think of how to end it.
Other Ways to Say: Got stuck, Reached a dead end
6. Blow it
Meaning: To fail or ruin a good opportunity.
In a Sentence: I totally blew it when I froze during my audition for the school play.
Other Ways to Say: Messed up, Wasted the chance
7. Back to square one
Meaning: To start over after a failure or setback.
In a Sentence: When my laptop crashed and deleted my project, I had to go back to square one.
Other Ways to Say: Start over, Begin again
8. Come up short
Meaning: To fail to reach a goal or standard.
In a Sentence: I came up short by two points and didn’t qualify for the final round.
Other Ways to Say: Almost made it, Didn’t quite succeed
9. Bark up the wrong tree
Meaning: To pursue a wrong or mistaken idea.
In a Sentence: I thought Jamie broke the vase, but I was barking up the wrong tree.
Other Ways to Say: Made the wrong assumption, Accused the wrong person
10. Crash and burn
Meaning: To fail quickly and completely, often in a dramatic way.
In a Sentence: My first attempt at cooking dinner was a total crash and burn—I even set off the fire alarm.
Other Ways to Say: Total failure, Epic fail
11. Flop
Meaning: Something that fails completely, especially a performance or product.
In a Sentence: The new movie was a huge flop and barely sold any tickets.
Other Ways to Say: Bombed, Didn’t succeed
12. Bite the dust
Meaning: To fail or stop working, often suddenly.
In a Sentence: My old computer finally bit the dust after years of slow loading.
Other Ways to Say: Broke down, Died
13. Strike out
Meaning: To fail at something, often repeatedly.
In a Sentence: I struck out trying to solve that math problem—I couldn’t get it right even after three tries.
Other Ways to Say: Failed, Didn’t succeed
14. Hit the skids
Meaning: To begin to fail or decline rapidly.
In a Sentence: His grades hit the skids after he stopped studying and skipped classes.
Other Ways to Say: Declined quickly, Started falling apart
15. Sink like a stone
Meaning: To fail very fast or completely disappear from attention.
In a Sentence: The new app sank like a stone and no one even remembered it after a week.
Other Ways to Say: Flopped hard, Faded fast
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16. Fizzle out
Meaning: To lose strength or come to an unsuccessful end slowly.
In a Sentence: Our group’s enthusiasm for the charity event fizzled out once we couldn’t get any sponsors.
Other Ways to Say: Died down, Lost momentum
17. Be a lost cause
Meaning: Something or someone that has no chance of success.
In a Sentence: I tried explaining the new game rules to my little brother, but it was a lost cause.
Other Ways to Say: Hopeless, Not worth the effort
18. Hit rock bottom
Meaning: To reach the lowest or worst possible point.
In a Sentence: After failing all my tests, I felt like I had hit rock bottom academically.
Other Ways to Say: At your worst, At the lowest point
19. Drop like flies
Meaning: To fail, quit, or get sick in large numbers.
In a Sentence: After the long hike, we were dropping like flies from exhaustion.
Other Ways to Say: Collapse quickly, Fall apart
20. Not cut out for it
Meaning: Not suited for something.
In a Sentence: I realized I’m not cut out for drama club after forgetting my lines on stage.
Other Ways to Say: Not meant for it, Not the right fit
21. The wheels fell off
Meaning: Something started going very wrong.
In a Sentence: Everything was fine during the group presentation until the wheels fell off and the slideshow stopped working.
Other Ways to Say: Fell apart, Turned into a mess
22. A day late and a dollar short
Meaning: To be too late and unprepared.
In a Sentence: I tried joining the contest, but I was a day late and a dollar short.
Other Ways to Say: Too late, Unready
23. Go off the rails
Meaning: To lose control and start failing badly.
In a Sentence: The play went off the rails when the lead actor forgot his lines.
Other Ways to Say: Spiraled out of control, Fell apart
24. Be in over your head
Meaning: To be involved in something too difficult.
In a Sentence: I was in over my head trying to fix the coding error by myself.
Other Ways to Say: Overwhelmed, Outmatched
25. Dig your own grave
Meaning: To do something that causes your own failure.
In a Sentence: Lying to the teacher just dug my own grave—it made things worse.
Other Ways to Say: Make things worse for yourself, Self-sabotage
26. Shoot yourself in the foot
Meaning: To harm your own success by making a mistake.
In a Sentence: I shot myself in the foot when I bragged before actually winning the race.
Other Ways to Say: Messed up, Hurt your own chances
27. Throw in the towel
Meaning: To give up or admit defeat.
In a Sentence: After struggling with the puzzle for hours, I finally threw in the towel.
Other Ways to Say: Gave up, Quit
28. Bomb
Meaning: To completely fail at something.
In a Sentence: I bombed my presentation because I forgot everything I practiced.
Other Ways to Say: Flopped, Did terribly
29. Make a mess of
Meaning: To ruin something by doing it poorly.
In a Sentence: I made a mess of the art project by spilling glue all over it.
Other Ways to Say: Messed up, Ruined
30. Be toast
Meaning: To be in serious trouble or failure.
In a Sentence: If I don’t finish my homework by tomorrow, I’m toast.
Other Ways to Say: In trouble, Doomed
31. Fall through
Meaning: To fail to happen or be completed.
In a Sentence: Our trip plans fell through when the bus company canceled last minute.
Other Ways to Say: Didn’t happen, Got canceled
32. Blow up in your face
Meaning: When something you planned ends up failing badly or unexpectedly.
In a Sentence: My prank blew up in my face when the teacher caught me before I could pull it off.
Other Ways to Say: Backfired, Turned against me
33. Let someone down
Meaning: To disappoint someone by not doing what was expected.
In a Sentence: I let my team down by forgetting to bring the materials for our group project.
Other Ways to Say: Disappoint, Fail someone
34. Run aground
Meaning: To face failure or difficulty, especially in progress or plans.
In a Sentence: Our fundraiser idea ran aground when we couldn’t get enough volunteers.
Other Ways to Say: Hit a snag, Faced trouble
35. Fall apart at the seams
Meaning: To break down emotionally or structurally.
In a Sentence: I tried to keep my cool, but I started falling apart at the seams during my speech.
Other Ways to Say: Broke down, Lost control
36. Not make the cut
Meaning: To fail to meet the required standard.
In a Sentence: I didn’t make the cut for the soccer team this year.
Other Ways to Say: Didn’t qualify, Wasn’t chosen
37. Be all washed up
Meaning: To no longer be successful or useful.
In a Sentence: Some people thought the singer was all washed up, but he came back with a hit album.
Other Ways to Say: Out of chances, Past your prime
38. Come to grief
Meaning: To suffer failure or trouble.
In a Sentence: The business idea came to grief when the funding fell through.
Other Ways to Say: Ended badly, Faced failure
39. Fall by the wayside
Meaning: To stop doing something or to be left behind.
In a Sentence: A lot of students’ resolutions to study more fell by the wayside after the first week.
Other Ways to Say: Dropped off, Got forgotten
40. Lay an egg
Meaning: To perform very poorly.
In a Sentence: The comedian laid an egg—nobody laughed at his jokes.
Other Ways to Say: Flopped, Bombed
41. Come unstuck
Meaning: To experience failure suddenly.
In a Sentence: His plan to finish early came unstuck when the printer stopped working.
Other Ways to Say: Fell apart, Failed
42. Be a dead end
Meaning: A situation with no future or success.
In a Sentence: The project seemed exciting, but it turned out to be a dead end.
Other Ways to Say: Going nowhere, No progress
43. Fall off the radar
Meaning: To be forgotten or ignored after failing.
In a Sentence: That fashion trend fell off the radar after just one season.
Other Ways to Say: Disappeared, Forgotten
44. Go belly up
Meaning: To fail completely, especially a business.
In a Sentence: The café went belly up after just six months.
Other Ways to Say: Shut down, Went out of business
45. Be on thin ice
Meaning: To be close to failure or in danger of trouble.
In a Sentence: After showing up late again, I’m on thin ice with my teacher.
Other Ways to Say: In danger, At risk of failure
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blanks:
- I really __________ the ball by not turning in my homework on time.
- Our plans for the bake sale __________ when no one signed up to help.
- I was totally __________ after failing my driving test twice.
- His idea for a shortcut __________ up in his face when it took longer.
- After forgetting my lines on stage, I felt like I __________ like a stone.
- The group project __________ at the seams when nobody agreed on anything.
- The restaurant down the street went __________ after a year of bad reviews.
- My plan to impress my crush completely __________ flat.
- I thought I could lead the group, but I was clearly __________ over my head.
- Skipping practice really caused me to __________ the cut.
- His career hit __________ when nobody wanted to cast him anymore.
- She dug her own __________ by spreading that rumor.
Answers:
dropped, fell through, toast, blew, sank, fell apart, belly up, fell, in, miss, rock bottom, grave
Conclusion
Failure doesn’t have to feel like the end of the world—in fact, it’s often the start of a learning experience. These idioms give us ways to talk about failure with honesty, humor, and even a little bit of style. By adding these phrases to your vocabulary, you’ll be better equipped to describe mistakes and setbacks in everyday conversations.
Keep practicing these idioms in your writing and speech. Whether you “drop the ball” or something “goes belly up,” just remember—you’re learning, growing, and getting stronger every time. That’s nothing to be ashamed of—it’s actually pretty awesome.
