the beginning of the end
Definition
› the point where something starts to get gradually worse, until it fails or ends completely: It was the beginning of the end for their marriage when he started drinking.Deteriorating and making worse
(Definition of the beginning of the end from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse related topics
You are looking at an entry to do with Deteriorating and making worse, but you might be interested in these topics from the Breaking and damaging topic area:
- Damaging and spoiling
- Destroying and demolishing
- Exploding and erupting
- Fragile and breakable
- Hitting against objects accidentally and colliding
- Hitting and beating
- In bad condition
- Injuring and injuries
- Scratching and rubbing
- Squeezing and grinding
- Tearing and breaking into pieces
- Undamaged, unbroken or in good condition
- Upsetting and destabilizing
Browse the Dictionary
-
the beau monde noun
-
the Beaufort scale noun
-
the beautiful game idiom
-
the beautiful people idiom
-
the Beeb noun
- the beginning of the end idiom
-
the best of a bad bunch/lot idiom
-
the best of both worlds idiom
-
the best of British (luck) idiom
-
the best/better part of idiom
-
the best/happiest days of your life idiom
Browse the Thesaurus
SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- a step backwards idiom
- a turn of the screw idiom
- aggravate verb (MAKE WORSE)
- backslide verb
- be half the dancer, writer, etc. you used to be idiom
- compound verb (WORSEN)
- decline verb (GO DOWN)
- degrade verb (SPOIL)
- downgrade noun
- downgrade verb
- exacerbate verb
- fan the flames idiom
- for the worse idiom
- go off phrasal verb (BECOME WORSE)
- regress verb
- retrograde adjective
- retrogress verb
- run (sth) down phrasal verb (LOSE POWER)
- run yourself down phrasal verb
- seed noun (PLANT)
Our dictionaries
Word of the Day
Blog
Read our blog about how the English language behaves.
New Words
Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.
