belly up

VERB

collapse

Synonyms

STRONGEST

break cave in crumple disintegrate drop fail faint fall down founder give way shatter topple weaken

STRONG

bend deflate droop exhaust flag fold give go languish subside succumb tire weary wilt yield

WEAK

conk out crack up flake out give in give out go to pieces keel over

Antonyms

STRONGEST

accomplish achieve fix mend straighten strengthen succeed

STRONG

activate create energize grow increase inflate invigorate refresh rise withhold

WEAK

build

ADJECTIVE

kaput

Synonyms

WEAK

all washed up burned out cooked dead destroyed done for down and out down for the count down the drain down the tubes finished floored had it nonfunctioning on the skids out of business out of circulation sunk totaled washed up wiped-out

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.

Spirit has become the largest U.S. carrier to go belly up in years.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

Even if your bank goes belly up, your money will be safe.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 27, 2026

The headliner grabber was Sam Bankman-Fried and the implosion of his exchange, FTX, but scores of other crypto companies went belly up.

From Slate • May 23, 2025

A Delta flight from Minneapolis crashed upon arrival at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, with the plane coming to a rest belly up on the airport's runway.

From Salon • Feb. 17, 2025

But he cleared the harpoon line and let it run slowly through his raw hands and, when he could see, he saw the fish was on his back with his silver belly up.

From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway

belly up

Example Sentences

Related Words