kingdom-come
Definition
- Noun (informal, slang):
- The afterlife or the next world: "kingdom-come" refers to the state or place of existence after death, often imagined as a heavenly realm or the great beyond.
- A state of unconsciousness or destruction: In colloquial usage, it can mean being knocked out or completely destroyed, as if sent to the afterlife.
Usage Examples
- (He threatened to kill his enemy, sending them to the afterlife.)
- (The explosion completely destroyed the building, as if sending it to the next world.)
- (He was knocked unconscious immediately.)
Advanced Usage
"to go to kingdom-come": to die or be killed.
- The old prospector went to kingdom-come in the desert. (He died in the desert.)
"to blow someone/something to kingdom-come": to destroy something or kill someone with explosives or great force.
- The bomb blew the car to kingdom-come. (The bomb completely destroyed the car.)
Variants and Related Words
- Kingdom (n): a country, state, or territory ruled by a king or queen; also a spiritual realm.
- The United Kingdom is a country in Europe. (A sovereign state.)
- Come (v): to arrive or move toward something.
- He will come to the party later. (He will arrive.)
Note: "kingdom-come" is a fixed compound phrase, not formed by combining "kingdom" and "come" separately. It is always written with a hyphen or as a single unit.
Synonyms
- Afterlife: the continued existence of the soul after death.
- Heaven: the dwelling place of God and the angels, often synonymous with paradise.
- The great beyond: a poetic term for the unknown after death.
- Eternal rest: a peaceful state after death.
- Oblivion (in destructive contexts): a state of being completely forgotten or destroyed.
Related Idioms
"To send someone to kingdom-come": to kill someone violently.
- The gangster sent his rival to kingdom-come with a single gunshot. (He killed him.)
"To be in kingdom-come": to be dead or in a state of total destruction.
- After the crash, the driver was in kingdom-come. (He was dead.)