what is the worst that can happen?
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Consider the potential negative consequences before acting
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Hãy xem xét hậu quả tiêu cực trước khi hành động
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “what is the worst that can happen?” mean?
Consider the potential negative consequences before acting
Is “what is the worst that can happen?” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.