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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of foundered
The kid who gets straight A’s through high school may struggle more in college than the one who foundered in ninth grade, figured out what went wrong, and then kept going.
—
Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
But past negotiations foundered on less ambitious demands.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
The arrest came as a relief to many on campus and in the surrounding Providence community, who endured five days of fear and uncertainty as the investigation foundered with few leads.
—Tovia Smith, NPR, 18 Dec. 2025
Instead, the bipartisan talks to extend the subsidies foundered, setting the stage for a massive spike in health care premiums next year.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 15 Dec. 2025
That era foundered on the costly losses of multiple Mars probes.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 3 Dec. 2025
Yet this plan foundered when confronted with Ukraine’s understandable loss aversion—breaching Russian defenses would have been an exceptionally bloody endeavor—and distracting rivalries among Ukrainian commanders and political leadership.
—Rebecca Lissner, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025
This is a significant year, marking 50 years since the Fitzgerald foundered in a Lake Superior storm.
—Jay Gabler, Twin Cities, 28 Oct. 2025
The stock price, which foundered since Discovery acquired WarnerMedia from AT&T in April 2022, hit a three-year high Wednesday after the company announced its formal auction process.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
But past negotiations foundered on less ambitious demands.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
The arrest came as a relief to many on campus and in the surrounding Providence community, who endured five days of fear and uncertainty as the investigation foundered with few leads.
—Tovia Smith, NPR, 18 Dec. 2025
Instead, the bipartisan talks to extend the subsidies foundered, setting the stage for a massive spike in health care premiums next year.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 15 Dec. 2025
That era foundered on the costly losses of multiple Mars probes.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 3 Dec. 2025
Yet this plan foundered when confronted with Ukraine’s understandable loss aversion—breaching Russian defenses would have been an exceptionally bloody endeavor—and distracting rivalries among Ukrainian commanders and political leadership.
—Rebecca Lissner, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025
This is a significant year, marking 50 years since the Fitzgerald foundered in a Lake Superior storm.
—Jay Gabler, Twin Cities, 28 Oct. 2025
The stock price, which foundered since Discovery acquired WarnerMedia from AT&T in April 2022, hit a three-year high Wednesday after the company announced its formal auction process.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foundered
Verb
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In Worcester, which lay more than 40 miles from the Charlestown line, a parched and dusty rider arrived at the square in front of the church, where his horse collapsed in exhaustion.—
Kostya Kennedy,
Time,
16 Feb. 2026
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The front porch had also collapsed on the two-story, multi-family building.—
Forum News Service,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Palo Alto Networks — Shares of the cybersecurity company tumbled 6% after Palo Alto issued a weak earnings forecast for the current quarter.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2026
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Last week, Wall Street shook when stocks of software and other companies tumbled as investors hunted for companies that could be potential losers if AI ends up remaking the world and their industries.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Neo is a few blocks from another property that flopped into financial woes.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
17 Feb. 2026
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But they were helped by the fact that the other pre-tournament contenders completely flopped.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Days after Guthrie went missing, TMZ was among the first to report on an initial note demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin for her safe return.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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Mathurin, acquired from Indiana at the trade deadline, was 12 for 22 from the field, while Leonard went eight for 18 and scored at least 20 points for the 34th consecutive game.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors say the defendant failed to take into account his girlfriend’s inexperience in mountain climbing as well as the harsh winter conditions.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Duffy said 448 schools failed to meet basic safety standards.—
Josh Funk,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The company scaled quickly and was ultimately acquired and folded into M88.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2026
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Fans are drawn to his varied strands of work, which move instinctively between disparate approaches and subject matter, from famous faces to images sensitive to light and shape, in subjects as simple as the curve of paper folded softly over itself.—
Steve Appleford,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With its dynamic freshman depleted from flu and another starter, Chad Baker-Mazara, still out due to injury, USC struggled to find a consistent source of offense.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Founder Sherille Riley, who previously worked as a facialist for high-end brands like La Prairie and Crème de la Mer, had until recently struggled to shop for K-beauty in person and initially bought the products online – only to run the risk of long shipping times or unknowingly buying a fake.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foundered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foundered. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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