Synonyms

go south

Idioms

Deteriorate or decline, as in The stock market is headed south again. This expression is generally thought to allude to compasses and two-dimensional maps where north is up and south is down. However, among some Native Americans, the term was a euphemism for dying, and possibly this sense led to the present usage. [Slang; first half of 1900s] Also see go west.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Both the UK and US's research facilities in Antarctica are on the hunt for the next batch of workers to "go south".

From BBC

“Everyone wants to leave when things go south,” Salemme said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Pride believes it is unlikely that the increasingly debt-fueled tech boom would go south in a hurry.

From The Wall Street Journal

Paramount also offers to pay Warner $5 billion should the deal go south.

From Los Angeles Times

When did this relationship go south?

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023