Meanings
present singular third person goes down in flames · participle present going down in flames · past went down in flames · participle past gone down in flames
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo fail miserably and with long-term consequences.
verbUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see go, down, in, flames: descend while aflame, crash and burn, etc.
Origin
The figurative sense is by metaphor from the literal sense. Attested since the early 20th century, ever since aeroplanes appeared but especially since World War I, when shooting them out of the sky first became a widespread thing.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
go down in flames. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20down%20in%20flames
“go down in flames.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20down%20in%20flames. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “go down in flames,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20down%20in%20flames.
Source: go down in flames on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.