Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

go to the wall

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.00 in modern English

Syllables
go -to the wall
IPA
18
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To make an all-out effort.

verb

To fail, to run out of options. (especially of a business)

verb

To be put aside or forgotten.

verb

To take an extreme and determined position or measure.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From a fight or military retreating until they cannot escape; see have one's back to the wall and retreat to the wall doctrine in common law.

Inflected Forms

goes to the wall (present, singular) going to the wall (participle, present) went to the wall (past) gone to the wall (participle, past)

Phrases

have one's back to the wall retreat to the wall balls to the wall go to the mat up against the wall

Frequently Paired Words

have one's back to the wall retreat to the wall balls to the wall go to the mat up against the wall

Questions

What does go to the wall mean?
To make an all-out effort.
Where does go to the wall come from?
From a fight or military retreating until they cannot escape; see have one's back to the wall and retreat to the wall doctrine in common law.

How to pronounce go to the wall

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “go to the wall”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “go to the wall”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “go to the wall” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.