1 B1 idiomatic neutral
For a business to fail financially and cease trading.
"Three local restaurants went under during the economic downturn."
inseparable
go under
B1 neutral inseparable intransitive
To sink below the surface of water; for a business to fail and close; or to lose consciousness under anaesthetic.
In plain English
To sink under water, for a company to go bankrupt, or to fall asleep from an anaesthetic.
What does "go under" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
To sink below the surface of water.
"The lifeboat capsized and went under within seconds."
inseparable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
To lose consciousness when given a general anaesthetic.
"She counted backwards from ten and went under before she reached seven."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To go below the surface of the water.
Actually means
To sink under water, for a company to go bankrupt, or to fall asleep from an anaesthetic.
Usage tip
The business failure sense is very common in journalism and financial reporting. The anaesthetic sense is widely used in medical and everyday contexts. The literal sinking sense is less frequent but transparent.
Words that pair with "go under"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
company business ship anaesthetic debt firm
How to conjugate "go under"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
go under
I/you/we/they
3rd person
goes under
he/she/it
Past simple
went under
yesterday
Past participle
gone under
have + pp
-ing form
going under
continuous
Hear "go under" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "go under" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.