go under

British  

verb

1. (also preposition) to sink below (a surface)

2. to founder or drown

3. to be conquered or overwhelmed

   the firm went under in the economic crisis

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go under Idioms  

1. Suffer defeat or destruction; fail. For example, We feared the business would go under after the founder died . [Mid-1800s]

2. Lose consciousness. For example, Ether was the first anesthetic to make patients go under quickly and completely . This usage dates from the 1930s.

3. Submerge, sink, as in This leaky boat is about to go under .

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

go under

Human bones, including a skull, were due to go under the hammer on Friday, but Great Western Auctions withdrew the item for sale after being contacted by BBC Scotland News.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 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

And just over one-quarter of homes that go under contract are selling above asking price, the lowest share for this time of year in at least five years, Redfin says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

“It was hard to walk. I tried to grab her to go under a table. And it was, like, hard to move and maneuver and we just heard stuff falling,” she told KTVN-TV.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026

Between Waterloo and Embankment the trains go under the Thames.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd

Related Words

• bankrupt
• drown