Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com

go bust

VERB
fail
Synonyms
STRONGEST
break close drop end finish
STRONG
crash defalcate default dishonor fold overdraw repudiate terminate
WEAK
be cleaned out be in arrears be ruined be taken to the cleaners become insolvent close down close one's doors drop a bundle go bankrupt go belly up go broke go into Chapter 11 go out of business go to the wall go under go up lose big lose one's shirt
Antonyms
STRONGEST
begin commence continue start
WEAK
accomplish achieve capture complete deliver earn gain merit obtain procure prosper reach succeed win
VERB
fold
Synonyms
STRONGEST
collapse
STRONG
break bust crash crumple give impoverish pauper pauperize yield
WEAK
be ruined become insolvent go bankrupt go into Chapter 11 go under shut down
Antonyms
WEAK
achieve succeed

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It took exactly one game of March Madness for the world’s most powerful AI models to understand the distinctly human feeling of watching their brackets go bust.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

“And when software companies go bust, they usually have few assets to sell to repay loans,” he cautioned.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

The trick for executives at privately held JE Dunn and elsewhere is how to manage the risk that the boom could go bust.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

The Abergavenny Arms pub in Frant says it fears it will "go bust" if the water issues continue.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

If they cannot reinvent themselves, they go bust.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari