# belly up

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/belly-up
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Dead or defunct.

## Examples

- The old computer finally went belly up yesterday.
- After the company lost its biggest client, the entire business went belly up within a month.
- The ambitious project went belly up when the investors withdrew their funding, leaving the team with nothing but empty promises.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.