foundered

verb

past tense of founder
1
as in collapsed
to be unsuccessful the theater company foundered after its corporate funding dried up

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tumbled
to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure the twin towers started to sway and suddenly foundered

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of foundered But, after some three hundred thousand trees were planted, the project foundered owing to a shift in political tides. — Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 Even before this high-profile addition to his staff, Chesney was already building early momentum in his significant rebuilding project at a program that has foundered over the past decade. — Greg Beacham, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 Previous attempts to reach an agreement have foundered amid mutual suspicion and each side's insistence that the other must move first. — Nidal Al-Mughrabi, USA Today, 31 July 2026 Water rushed in through the openings, and the ship foundered so quickly that most of the 500 men onboard were lost. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026 On screen, some of our best artists have foundered in translation. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 June 2026 But the president didn’t make clear why a federal takeover of a small airline that has foundered for years would be an efficient use of capital or benefit American taxpayers. — Editorial, Boston Herald, 2 May 2026 The site contains remains from multiple vessels, suggesting a history of merchant ships that likely foundered in the same treacherous area while approaching the shore. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 28 Mar. 2026 Courts have interpreted Section 230 immunity broadly, and many earlier attempts to hold platforms accountable for child harm have foundered on it. — Carolina Rossini, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foundered
  1. collapsed
  2. tumbled
  3. flopped
  4. went
  5. failed
  6. folded
  7. struggled
Verb
  • The only difference is that, after this race, some of the competitors collapsed to the floor with sparks flying from their insides while safety officials charged over to attend to them with fire extinguishers.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • And since then, the government collapsed, and gang warfare has spread.
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of collapsed
Verb
  • Howmet Aerospace — Shares of the manufacturer of engines for gas turbines tumbled more than 8%.
    — Scott Schnipper, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
  • On one page, tiny, antlike sinners tumbled down a cliff toward perdition.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of tumbled
Verb
  • Clarke’s first two films, with commercial distribution, flopped.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Both flopped — at Chelsea and Manchester United — with their fees widely viewed as excessive even at the time.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of flopped
Verb
  • The Sox went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 14 on base while falling in the opener of the four-game series.
    — LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Other questions still linger, including where Lahti’s car went.
    — Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of went
Verb
  • Critically, the owner of the footage failed to show any impact on the market for the footage and in fact had never licensed the footage for compensation.
    — Schuyler Moore, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Congress legalized home brewing in 1978 Occasional efforts in recent years to change the law failed to gain traction.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of failed
Verb
  • Tired girl makeup looks poised to stick around, folded into a broader movement toward grunge, indie sleaze and deliberately unpolished beauty.
    — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The project, originally a standalone story, was folded into the new DCU and received an R-rating.
    — Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of folded
Verb
  • Salas struggled offensively throughout 2024, missed almost all of 2025 because of a stress reaction in his back and plummeted on prospect lists as a result.
    — Dennis Lin, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Cuba’s daily grind takes its toll The day before classes started, Yurima Izaguirre struggled to pull up last year’s school uniform on the youngest of her three children.
    — Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of struggled

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Cite this Entry

“Foundered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foundered. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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