coming a cropper

phrase

present participle of come a cropper
1
as in collapsing
to be unsuccessful To her disappointment, her plan came a cropper.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in falling short
to go wrong He tried to scale the fence but came a cropper.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for coming a cropper
  1. falling short
  2. falling flat
Phrase
  • The Blue Jays were about to go on a magical run that would come within inches of a title, ultimately falling short in an all-time classic of a World Series.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The trial ended in a 57–43 vote to convict, falling short of the two-thirds threshold required.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of falling short
Phrase
  • The resilient fill bounces back night after night, maintaining its shape without falling flat.
    — V BRAND STORIES, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But the execution was dead on arrival, with the whole thing falling flat on its face.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of falling flat
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

coming about
coming a cropper
coming across
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Coming a cropper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coming%20a%20cropper. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All