go under

verb

went under; gone under; going under; goes under
Synonyms of go undernext

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
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The horizontal bar chart shows the average time listings are staying on the market before going under contract as of Q1 2026. Diana Olick, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026 Many farmers who couldn’t pay their bills in recent years went under. Kayla Steinberg, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026 Rights defenders have said that the country's top security agency, which still goes under its Soviet-era name KGB, has blackmailed members of LGBTQ+ community to force them to cooperate. ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026 Garrett, 53, was then pulled out of the lake by two bystanders after going under the water herself, according to the outlets. Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for go under

Word History

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of go under was in 1820

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Go under.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20under. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.

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