come back to haunt (one)

1. To pursue someone or something in a ghostly or otherwise supernatural form. If you don't do exactly what I want at my funeral, I'll come back to haunt you all! The ghost of the business partner he betrayed had come back to haunt him in the night. A: "Oh, if I go first, I will absolutely come back to haunt your grandfather." B: "Grandma, come on—we know you guys really love each other."

2. For a past situation, decision, etc. to cause problems for one in the present or future. His poor treatment of his employees might come back to haunt him some day. Her remarks during the campaign have come back to haunt her during the debate. You're failing three subjects? Wow, I guess spending so much time with your new girlfriend has come back to haunt you, huh?

3. To return to one's consciousness, as of a thought or memory. I've barely slept because that nightmare has come back to haunt me every night this week. The fear that I'll get fired comes back to haunt me all the time. No, no way am I watching that horror movie again—images from it still come back to haunt me at times!

come back to haunt one

and return to haunt one

Fig. [for a bad memory] to recur; for the consequences of a bad decision to affect one negatively later. I never dreamed that a little thing like a traffic ticket could come back to haunt me years later.