go bust
go bust — idiom
1. When a business runs out of money and can no longer stay open
When a business runs out of money and can no longer stay open
The Patel family's grocery store went bust after the supermarket moved in.
pattern: [business] + went bust + after [cause]
Dozens of small travel agencies went bust during the long border closures.
The old cinema on Mill Road went bust when streaming became popular.
Fatima's catering business went bust after she lost two major clients.
When the ferry company went bust, island residents could no longer get supplies.
- go bankrupt
more formal; used for both companies and individuals in legal contexts
- go under
informal, same register as 'go bust'; often implies a gradual decline
- fold
informal; suggests the business simply stopped operating, often suddenly
- collapse
more dramatic; implies a sudden and complete failure
用法筆記
Subject is typically a business, company, or commercial enterprise. More formal equivalents include 'go bankrupt' or 'cease trading.'
2. To lose every bit of your money, often through a failed venture or risky gamblin
To lose every bit of your money, often through a failed venture or risky gambling
Andrei went bust after borrowing heavily to open a second bakery.
Keisha went bust at the roulette table and called her sister for a ride.
pattern: went bust + at [gambling venue]
The retired teacher went bust investing in a gold mine that proved worthless.
Javier and his brother went bust trying to save their father's failing garage.
Within three years, the freelance designer went bust and moved back with her parents.
- go broke
very similar meaning and register; interchangeable in most personal contexts
- lose everything
slightly more dramatic; emphasises the total loss rather than the process
- go bankrupt
more formal; often implies a legal process, not just running out of cash
- strike it rich
to suddenly gain a lot of money, often through luck
- make a fortune
to earn a very large amount of money through work or investment
用法筆記
Subject is a person. Distinguished from sense 1 (COMPANY FAILS), which refers to a business shutting down rather than an individual's financial loss.