go under
Britishverb
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(also preposition) to sink below (a surface)
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to founder or drown
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to be conquered or overwhelmed
the firm went under in the economic crisis
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Suffer defeat or destruction; fail. For example, We feared the business would go under after the founder died . [Mid-1800s]
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Lose consciousness. For example, Ether was the first anesthetic to make patients go under quickly and completely . This usage dates from the 1930s.
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Submerge, sink, as in This leaky boat is about to go under .
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.
But companies go under and relaunch with new advertising all the time.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
The type of slow, steady grooming Anya describes is designed to avoid triggering the target's sense of danger, "like stealth bombers are designed just to go under the radar", says the psychologist Quinn-Cirillo.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
All sorts of storylines - none of them good - were under consideration until Kane simply refused to allow England to go under.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Pending home sales, a data point that measures homes that go under contract well before the sale closes, perked up in April, rising 3.2% from the year prior, according to the National Association of Realtors.
From Barron's ● May 26, 2026
Mother long ago had shoved all the trunks and boxes as far as they could go under the eaves, leaving prime space for Luke’s brass bed and circular rag rug and books and toys.
From "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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