Idiom
go belly up
Meanings
(Of a business) to become bankrupt or shut down completely.
(Of a plan, project, or deal) to fail suddenly and completely.
Definition
To go belly up means to fail completely, especially when a business closes because it has no money.
If a company goes belly up, it becomes unable to continue operating and shuts down, often because it runs out of money. The idiom is common in American English and is informal. It can also be used more generally to mean that a plan or project fails suddenly and completely.
Examples
- The restaurant went belly up after the rent doubled.
- If we lose this contract, the whole company could go belly up.
- Their startup went belly up within a year of launching.
- Our travel plans went belly up when the storm canceled all flights.
Common mistake
Learners sometimes use it for a temporary problem, but it usually means complete failure or closure, not a short setback.
More at B2 level
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share updates, confirm plans, or check progress.
- ballpark figure A ballpark figure is an approximate number or estimate, not an exact one.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to mock someone or tease them in an unkind or cheeky way.
- cheap as chips Very cheap; costing very little money.
More idiom (verb phrase)s
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share updates, confirm plans, or check progress.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to mock someone or tease them in an unkind or cheeky way.
- drop the ball To drop the ball means to make a mistake or fail to do something you were responsible for.
- have a chinwag To have a chinwag means to have a relaxed, friendly chat with someone.
- face the music To accept and deal with the unpleasant consequences of what you have done or a difficult situation.