going under
1
8.1
- noun
- During the inspection, the divers confirmed that a ship was going under at the harbor.
- going under the water
Examples
-
We saved an American auto industry on the brink of going under.
Blog text (3) -
They don't just throw their money at it like Simon Jordan did, and they saved us from going under.
Blog text (23) -
As you may recall, when the New York Times was in danger of going under in 2008, the Mexican telecom monopolist loaned the NYT $200 million.
Blog text (18) -
At 2:17 a.m., according to the various investigations after the disaster, the Titanic began to go under, her lights blazing in the cold of the sub-Arctic night and with more than 1,500 people still on board.
Academic text (2012) -
The captain ordered the crew to prepare for the ship's going under due to the severe storm.
-
As the waves crashed against it, the old vessel was inevitably going under after taking on water.
Synonyms
14
2.8
A boat or object that goes below the water's surface
2
8.4
The state of being completely covered by water
1
6.2
Putting something completely under water or another liquid
1
7.4
How far things sink into ground or water
1
5.0
Something sinks until it is completely covered by water
Antonyms
How Submerged
32
4.2
1
8.1
14
2.8
- Specialized
10
5.5
4
1.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the ship sinking below the surface' is directly built from 'going' (moving) + 'under' (beneath), yielding a straightforward motion-to-below interpretation. This verb + directional particle composition is a common, cross-linguistic pattern and a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended sense.
Etymology
Going under comes from an old sailors' image of a boat literally going under the water as waves cover it. So the phrase now means 'the act of a ship sinking'.