go pear-shaped

idiom

British, informal
: to go wrong
She was in debt, and when she lost her job it all went pear-shaped.

Examples of go pear-shaped in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Good communication is a no-brainer in any relationship, and Perks says the best approach is to start that boundary-setting conversation as early as possible — and definitely before things start to go pear-shaped. Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2022 Some want a foreign bolt-hole for when things go pear-shaped in China. Jack Crowe, National Review, 21 Aug. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'go pear-shaped.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near go pear-shaped

Cite this Entry

“Go pear-shaped.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20pear-shaped. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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