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

Pick up a strand going under and lift over the strand next to it. — Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Aug. 2026

Bor and Isai Rodriguez, who finished second and third, also went under the record last year. — Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 20 Aug. 2026

Originally made and sold around the area by the Merlino family, there was great mourning when the company went under in the early 2000’s. — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Of the dozen properties that went under contract, two were condos and 10 were single-family homes. — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 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