phrasal verb · informal

go bad

UK/ɡəʊ bæd/US/ɡoʊ bæd/go BAD

speakingtask2

to become spoiled (food) or to deteriorate (a situation)

Examples

Leave milk at room temperature and it will go bad quickly.

Their relationship went bad after months of arguing.

If this plan goes bad, we'll need a backup.

Band 8 sentence

We discovered that several items in the fridge had gone bad after the power cut.

Collocations

  • milk went bad
  • plan went bad
  • go bad quickly

Word family

go bad vgoes bad vwent bad vgone bad v

Common mistakes

The milk is go badThe milk has gone bad

The food went to badThe food went bad

Say it for a higher band

5spoil6go off7+go bad

Synonyms

spoil

deteriorate

Easily confused

spoil

If you leave fruit in the sun it will spoil quickly.

Related words

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In go …

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