ENGLISH
REFERENCE

go the way of

idiom
Meaning

To end up the same way as; to undergo the same fate as.


Examples
SIMPLE

My old phone will soon go the way of my broken laptop.

CONTEXTUAL

The small bookstore struggled for years before it finally went the way of many other local shops and closed down.

COMPLEX

Historians often warn that if a society ignores its past mistakes, it will inevitably go the way of the great empires that collapsed centuries ago.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    a little of something goes a long way

    Only a small amount of something is usually required to produce a great effect.

  2. 02

    all dressed up and nowhere to go

    Elaborately attired or otherwise fully prepared for an anticipated situation or activity which, nevertheless, fails to occur.

  3. 03

    all systems go

    Everything is ready.

  4. 04

    all the way to Egery and back

    The long way; a roundabout route; a long distance to travel.

  5. 05

    as you go

    While one is doing (something); as one progresses.

  6. 06

    boldly go where no man has gone before

    To break new ground.

  7. 07

    by the way

    Irrelevantly, off-topic.

  8. 08

    come a long way

    To make significant progress.

Last updated April 17, 2026