go under

verb

went under; gone under; going under; goes under

intransitive verb

1

: sink entry 1 sense 1a

The ship went under in the storm.

2

: to be overwhelmed, destroyed, or defeated : fail

The company went under during the recession.

Examples of go under in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Many stations have gone under, replaced by Spanish-language or religious programming. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026

Nuera is entering the market after technology has outpaced adoption, and several promising next-gen materials companies have gone under. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026

The letter Brian Jones sent to Charlie Watts asking him to join the band that would soon become the Rolling Stones will go under the gavel at Sotheby’s this winter. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2026

The Kankakee River winds to the west after going under the State Line Bridge. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for go under

• asunder
• blunder
• bunder
• funder
• plunder
• sunder
• thunder