worst comes to worst
worst comes to worst adverb: if a possible worst-case scenario actually occurs.
Adverb
worst comes to worst (superlative form only)
- If a possible worst-case scenario actually occurs.
- “Worst comes to worst, we'll make it to Cleveland and we can set down there and wait things out.” Gordon Rand nearly sneered, “Worst comes to worst? We'll crash and die, isn't that closer to the worst end of the possibility spectrum?2010, Cherie Priest, Dreadnought: A Novel of the Clockwork Century
- You aren't doing anything anyway. Worst comes to worst you can give her some money and send her on her way.2014, Eric Drouant, Fatal
Examples of worst comes to worst in a sentence
- Worst comes to worst ...” Eddie finished it.2015, James Abel, White Plague:
- Worst comes to worst, Curtis says I can use his room.2018, Clare London, With A Kick Collection 2:
- Well, worst comes to worst, they can shift and eat.2017, Crista Crown, Harper B. Cole, The Outcast Chronicles Bundle:
Forms of worst comes to worst
| superlative | form only |
|---|---|
| alternative form | the worst comes to the worst |
| alternative form | worse comes to worst |
| alternative form | bad comes to worst |
| alternative form | bad comes to worse |
| alternative form | worse comes to worse |
Origin of worst comes to worst
Originally in the form "if the worst come to the worst" with the subjunctive "if it come to" in the sense of "if the worst possible outcome should become the worst possible reality". Often used even today with the same two definite articles, and this is the only form recorded for British English in some dictionaries.
Questions about worst comes to worst
- What does worst comes to worst mean?
- Worst comes to worst means if a possible worst-case scenario actually occurs.
- How do you use worst comes to worst in a sentence?
- Worst comes to worst ...” Eddie finished it.
- What part of speech is worst comes to worst?
- Worst comes to worst is an adverb.
Words near worst comes to worst in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: worst comes to worst (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-worst comes to worst.ogg.
Cite this entry: “worst comes to worst.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/worst_comes_to_worst. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.