B2idiominformalbusinessIELTS-friendly
go bust
USUK
to fail financially and have to close because you cannot pay your debts
'Bust' is an adjective here: 'go bust', 'be bust'. Never 'go busted'. 'Go bust' is for firms, while 'go broke' is more often for people.
In context
Many small cafes went bust during the pandemic because nobody came in.
If the shop goes bust, the owner will lose his house as well.
Common mistake
Incorrect: The company went busted last year.
Correct: The company went bust last year.
More idioms about business
- a ballpark figurea rough number that is close to the real amount
- a big playera powerful and important person or company in a field
- a bottlenecka point where progress slows because too much has to pass through it
- a deal breakera fact or condition that makes you refuse to accept an agreement
- a dog-eat-dog worlda situation where people compete hard and will harm others to succeed