1. If a business or company goes under, it fails financially and closes.
Examples of use:
a) They went under during the last recession
b) I worked for a small retailer until they went under last year.
c) Our biggest customer has gone under owing us over £30,000.
d) Their company went under because they failed to keep up with the latest developments in technology
e) Do you really think we risk going under if we don’t have a good social media strategy?
2. If something in water goes under (e.g. a ship or a person), it sinks below the surface of the water.
a) The band on the Titanic carried on playing music until the ship went under.
b) The oil tanker went under during a massive storm.
c) The sailors were rescued seconds before their boat went under.
| infinitive |
go under |
| present simple |
go under and goes under |
| -ing form |
going under |
| past simple |
went under |
| past participle |
gone under |
Practise your English by answering these questions (you can write your answer in the comments, or send it to me 
):
1. Can you think of a company that went under in 2012?
2. Have you ever worked for a business or company that went under?
Can you use the phrasal verb ‘go under’ in your own sentence?
Image © Gorilla Girl
