go right

IPA/ɡˌəʊ ɹˈaɪt/
IPA/ɡˌoʊ ɹˈaɪt/

go right — idiom

1. to develop or end in the way you wanted, with no problems spoiling the result.

1.idiomB1
Definition

to develop or end in the way you wanted, with no problems spoiling the result.

Example

Nothing went right on Omar's first day at the new bakery.

negative: nothing goes right (everything fails)

If the weather goes right, the harvest festival will happen on Saturday.

conditional: if X goes right, then Y

Common collocations
  • everything goes right
  • nothing goes right
  • if things go right
Synonyms
  • work out

    more about reaching a good final result after effort

  • go well

    very close in meaning; slightly more neutral and common

  • go smoothly

    stresses the absence of problems along the way

Antonyms
  • go wrong

    the direct opposite: to fail or develop badly

Grammar Patterns

something + goes right

Usage Note

Subject is usually an event, plan, or 'everything / nothing', not a person. Very often appears in the negative ('nothing went right') or as a hopeful condition ('if things go right').

Common Mistakes

I went right in the exam.
The exam went right for me.
the subject is the event or plan, not the person taking part.

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

This phrase pairs the everyday verb 'go', used in the sense of 'turn out' or 'develop', with 'right' meaning 'correct' or 'as it should be'. The same pattern gives us the opposite expression 'go wrong'. Both have been common in spoken English since at least the nineteenth century, when 'go' widened from describing movement to describing how situations unfold.