go belly-up

1. Fail, go bankrupt, as in This company's about to go belly-up. This expression alludes to the posture of a dead fish in the water. [Slang; early 1900s] Also see go broke.

Example Sentences

He’d given Chastain his first big breaks, only to have a sponsorship deal go belly-up.

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Many states require companies to plug wells that are tapped out and to post bonds in case they go belly-up, but those bonds don’t cover the cost.

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Many states require companies to plug wells that are out of production and to post bonds in case they go belly-up.

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As far back as 2014, when Caesars Entertainment closed the Showboat and the Atlantic Club amid a severe slowdown that saw four casinos go belly-up, then-chairman Gary Loveman none-too-subtly indicated that Bally’s was in danger of meeting a similar end, telling The Associated Press, “We need to make money there.”

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Readers like Gardner know what they’d lose if their community papers go belly-up.

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Related Words

• descend 
• dip 
• drop 
• flop 
• go down 
• nose-dive 
• plummet 
• plunge 
• sag 
• skid 
• slip 
• slump 
• spill 
• stumble 
• topple