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awry

adverb or adjective
\ ə-ˈrī How to pronounce awry (audio) \

Definition of awry

1 : off the correct or expected course : amiss Their plans went awry.
2 : in a turned or twisted position or direction : askew His wig was put on all awry, with the tail straggling about his neck.— Charles Dickens
Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about awry

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Examples of awry in a Sentence

In his 1942 story "Runaround," Isaac Asimov offered his now-famous Three Laws of Robotics: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; a robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; and a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. Most of Asimov's stories deal with things going awry because these laws don't equip robots to tackle real-world situations. — Robert J. Sawyer, Science, 16 Nov. 2007 Beer is made up of a complex concoction of substances that stretch well beyond simply that of water and ethanol. There is ample opportunity, then, for things to go awry in the beer-making process. — David Filmore, Today's Chemist at Work, January 2002 If you forget to sign your return, speckle it with correction fluid, or assemble the pages in the wrong order, the agent may take a much closer look to see if anything else is awry. — Janine S. Pouliot, Parenting, April 1997 I was proud of my schoolteacher father. If his suit was out of press, and his necktie knotted awry, I was too new to the world to notice. — John Updike, New Yorker, 10 Mar. 1997
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Recent Examples on the Web

 If things go awry, there's a control center in Austin that can monitor every Briggo coffee robot in operation. — Kate Dwyer, Fortune, "Robot Baristas Serve Cappuccinos With Convenience," 30 Aug. 2019 The Aztecs are prepared in the event either the snap or the hold goes awry. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Aztecs count on synchronicity of snapper-holder-kicker combination," 29 Aug. 2019 The 5-foot-9-inch Bosnian -- ranked as high as 23rd last year -- raced to a 4-0 lead as Federer's forehand went awry. — Ravi Ubha, CNN, "One hundred matches and counting for Federer at the US Open -- but is there cause for concern for the Swiss?," 28 Aug. 2019 Now Baker shuffles additional daddy duties with his duty of building on what went right for the Miami defense in Saturday’s 24-20 loss to the Florida Gators and correcting what went awry. — David Furones, sun-sentinel.com, "Blake Baker seeks improved tackling from Miami Hurricanes as he tackles daddy duty," 28 Aug. 2019 According to the Russian ministry of defense, a liquid propellant rocket engine had gone awry and exploded. — Ankit Panda, The New Republic, "The Absurd Strategy Behind Russia’s Nuclear Explosion," 21 Aug. 2019 But as Dokey reached down and lifted out the billfold, his plan went badly awry: McCord chose that very moment to swivel around and swat a mosquito from his lower back. — Larry Millett, Twin Cities, "From the archives: Murder-on-a-stick: A Pioneer Press serial mystery novel (Chapter 1)," 21 Aug. 2019 But when the time came to pull off the robbery, things started going awry. — Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, "Fatal Concord shooting wasn’t murder, DA says; court records tell story of betrayal," 20 Aug. 2019 Dora and the Lost City of Gold follows her transition into the real world, eventually landing back in the wilderness after a school field trip gone awry. — Gabe Bergado, Teen Vogue, "Dora and the Lost City of Gold," 16 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'awry.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of awry

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

History and Etymology for awry

see wry entry 1

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More Definitions for awry

awry

adjective or adverb
How to pronounce awry (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of awry

: not working correctly or happening in the expected way
: not straight or neat

See the full definition for awry in the English Language Learners Dictionary

awry

adverb or adjective
\ ə-ˈrī How to pronounce awry (audio) \

Kids Definition of awry

1 : turned or twisted to one side : askew His hat was all awry.
2 : out of the right course : amiss The plans had gone awry.

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More from Merriam-Webster on awry

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with awry

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for awry

Spanish Central: Translation of awry

Nglish: Translation of awry for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of awry for Arabic Speakers

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