go under

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

Idioms and Phrases

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

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

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

Example Sentences

Gone are the days when facelifts were reserved for the ageing wealthy - now an increasing number of younger people are opting to go under the knife.

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Eddie Jones, when England coach, had a consultancy with Suntory Sungoliath in Japan, which went under the radar while England were winning but then became an issue when they started to fail.

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“Maybe it’s to work hard so the hat shop won’t go under.”

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The part where Bargatze has to pay more if the speech goes under.

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The farm crisis of the 1980s also saw thousands of farms go under.

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Related Words

• bankrupt 
• drown