go bad

verb

To spoil, rot, or otherwise become unusable due to age or storage conditions.

Similar
break badgo to the badturn evilfailgive waydiegive outconk out
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Meanings

verbgo bad (third-person singular simple present goes bad, present participle going bad, simple past went bad, past participle gone bad)

present singular third person goes bad · participle present going bad · past went bad · participle past gone bad

  1. To spoil, rot, or otherwise become unusable due to age or storage conditions.
  2. to cease to be reputable and instead become delinquent, criminal, immoral, corrupt or poorly behaved.

    Synonyms: break bad, go to the bad, turn evil

  3. To become unsafe.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbto cease to be reputable and instead become delinquent, criminal, immoral, corrupt or poorly behaved.

Similar
break badgo to the badturn evil

More synonyms by meaning

verbstop operating or functioning

Similar
failgive waydiegive outconk outgobreakbreak downdeceaseperish
Broader
change

verbbecome unfit for consumption or use

Similar
spoil
Broader
decay
Also see
breakbreak badbreak downbuy the farmcash in one's chipschokeconkconk outcroakdeceasedevolvediedrop deadexitexpirefailgive outgive waygogo astraygo leftgo sourgo southgo to the badgo wrongkick the bucketpasspass awayperishpop offsnuff itspoilsufferturnworsen

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Dutch bederven
  • bedervenof foods: to spoil or rot
Finnish pilaantua
  • pilaantuaof foods: to spoil or rot
French pourrir, périmer
  • pourrirof foods: to spoil or rot
  • périmerof foods: to spoil or rot
  • tournerof foods: to spoil or rot
  • moisirof foods: to spoil or rot
  • se perdreof foods: to spoil or rot
German verderben
  • verderbenof foods: to spoil or rot
Icelandic skemmast
  • skemmastof foods: to spoil or rot
Italian andare a male
  • andare a maleof foods: to spoil or rot
Japanese 傷む
  • 傷む (itamu)of foods: to spoil or rot
Polish gnić, zgnić
  • gnićof foods: to spoil or rot
  • zgnićof foods: to spoil or rot
  • kwaśniećof foods: to spoil or rot
  • skwaśniećof foods: to spoil or rot
Portuguese estragar
  • estragarof foods: to spoil or rot
Romanian se strica, putrezi
  • se stricaof foods: to spoil or rot
  • putreziof foods: to spoil or rot
Russian по́ртиться, испо́ртиться
  • по́ртиться (pórtitʹsja)of foods: to spoil or rot
  • испо́ртиться (ispórtitʹsja)of foods: to spoil or rot
Spanish estropearse, malograrse
  • estropearseof foods: to spoil or rot
  • malograrseof foods: to spoil or rot
  • abombarseof foods: to spoil or rot
  • agriarseof foods: to spoil or rot
  • avinagrarseof foods: to spoil or rot
  • acedarseof foods: to spoil or rot
  • revenirseof foods: to spoil or rot
  • echarse a perderof foods: to spoil or rot
  • chuquearseof foods: to spoil or rot
  • modorrarseof foods: to spoil or rot
Swahili vunda
  • vundaof foods: to spoil or rot
Cite this entry
APA

go bad. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20bad

MLA

“go bad.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20bad. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “go bad,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20bad.

Source: go bad on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.