to come undone

Examples

• All

• After stealing Xibalba's magic medal in a battle, Chakal had risen to become the king of the bandits, but when Xibalba stole it back, Chakal had come undone.

  The Book of Life (2014)

• It's true, we do all come undone now and again!

  Blog text (31)

• When our power leaves us, all our work comes undone.

  Wrath of the Titans (2012)

• Her mind has come undone, I fear.

  Corpse Bride (2005)

• My husband has come undone.

  Gone Girl (2014)

• Three or four hundred million dollars later, he lost and came undone on national television.

  Blog text (27)

• Training tends to come undone at first contact with a real prospective client.

  Blog text (28)

• The longer you're in there, the more your mind will come undone.

  Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

• And though he had been married awhile, it was not happy, and the marriage was coming undone.

  Fiction book (1992)

• When I say I came undone, that's when I really let myself open up and sob and cry.

  Academic text (2006)

Synonyms

C

to collapse

vsto come undone

579 3.9

To fall down suddenly, for example when a person faints or a building breaks

can also mean losing emotional control rather than only sudden failure

L

to lose it

vsto come undone

• Informal

289 7.5

Suddenly stop controlling your feelings and become very angry or upset

is broader not only sudden emotional loss but also structural failure

F

to fall apart

vsto come undone

• Informal

193 4.2

To lose control of your feelings because of strong stress or sadness

is more general and also applies to nonemotional structural failure

B

to break down

vsto come undone

111 3.9

To lose control of your feelings and cry or collapse

is also used for structural failure or gradual loss of control

C

to come apart

vsto come undone

44 3.1

To break into pieces or fall into separate parts

is often used for failure or loss of control rather than only breaking

B

to break up

vsto come undone

• Informal

38 5.0

Become unable to cope because of strong stress or emotion

is broader and can mean failing physically rather than prolonged mental collapse

D

to disintegrate

vsto come undone

35 5.8

Fall apart into smaller pieces or stop working together

is used more generally for sudden failure or emotional collapse not only decay

B

to break apart

vsto come undone

26 3.0

To separate into pieces, for example a machine or a group

is more about failure or loss of control rather than mere separation

G

to go to pieces

vsto come undone

9 6.1

Lose control of your feelings because of shock or sadness

is less tied to sudden shock and can refer to physical failure

C

to come apart at the seams

vsto come undone

• Informal

5 7.2

To fall apart or stop working properly after being stable

is used more generally for sudden failure or emotional loss not only after stability

B

to begin to crumble

vsto come undone

4 4.0

Start to break into pieces or stop working well

is often sudden in result rather than a slow gradual deterioration

C

to come unhinged

vsto come undone

• Informal

2 8.2

To lose control of your feelings and act very upset

is broader and can also mean structural failure rather than only emotion

T

to the bottom falls out of

vsto come undone

• Informal

1 8.2

Suddenly become much worse or fail after being stable

is more general and can describe personal emotional collapse as well

C

to come unstuck

vsto come undone

1 5.8

To become loose and move away from a surface

is used for failure or emotional loss not only simple physical detachment

T

the wheels fell off

vsto come undone

• Informal

9.8

A situation that suddenly goes wrong after working well

is similar but also applies to personal loss of control or structural failure

F

to fall apart like a house of cards

vsto come undone

• Informal

6.5

Suddenly fail completely because it is weak or badly built

is broader and also covers emotional loss or nonstructural failures

Antonyms

S

to succeed

846 2.0

To reach a goal after trying hard

H

to hold together

90 3.4

Keep parts or people joined and working as one

How Intact

to hold together

90 3.4

to come undone

• Informal

9 5.3

to come apart

44 3.1

to collapse

579 3.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology