foundering 1 of 2

noun

as in sinking

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foundering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of founder
1
as in collapsing
to be unsuccessful the theater company foundered after its corporate funding dried up

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tumbling
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

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 foundering
Noun
The process, known as lithospheric foundering, resembles a geological process on Earth in which portions of the planet's outermost layer sink into the mantle. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2026 Any major foundering in New Mexico could have long-lasting consequences. — Elliot Haspel, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
Yet even as built, the stadium rarely reached capacity, a challenge eventually compounded by the foundering product on the gridiron. — Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026 Axel Disasi was taken underwater, foundering and falling. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 29 May 2026 Judging just by the opening day crowd at the new outlet on Route 44 in Avon, the company’s model shows no sign of foundering despite the turbulent economy. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 9 Apr. 2026 Joel Gratz is having a bluebird day at a time when the rest of the Colorado ski industry is foundering. — Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2026 These artifacts, like the late 20th- and early 21st-century shipwrecks rusting in Caicos Banks, were monuments to the foundering dreams of successive generations, who tried and failed to make the land pay. — Henry Wismayer, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2026 Dinosaurs were flourishing, not foundering, as kings of the Cretaceous right up until the end, according to the new study. — Dino Grandoni The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2025 Beneath the opaque veneer that cult wineries like Bryant have striven to maintain, is that business model foundering in a changing wine market? — Senior Wine Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foundering
  1. sinking
  2. collapsing
  3. tumbling
  4. failing
  5. flopping
  6. struggling
  7. folding
  8. missing
Noun
  • Thirteen people were sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years on Wednesday in connection with the sinking of a boat in the English Channel nearly five years ago, in one of the biggest tragedies of migrants making the dangerous crossing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
  • South Gate’s rain-sodden float depicted a floral Titanic sinking alongside the killer iceberg.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of sinking
Verb
  • The cost of creating plausible false identities is collapsing.
    — Joao Gomes, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The public must contend head-on with a collapsing currency and runaway inflation, and to ordinary Iranians, describing the present situation as sustainable would sound almost obscene.
    — Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of collapsing
Verb
  • The main structures at the front (the spa, gym, studio, and reception) are made of natural stone with bougainvillea tumbling down their sides, set between shallow pools of water, echoing the floating effect of the resort above the mangroves.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Labor market shifts The US trucking industry is shaking off a nearly four-year downturn, a post-pandemic correction marked by tumbling freight rates, carrier bankruptcies, and a high-cost/tepid-volume operating environment.
    — Natasha Chen, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of tumbling
Verb
  • By merging the two failing car companies, Marchionne created the seventh-largest vehicle manufacturer in the world, increasing Fiat’s value more than tenfold.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • According to RadarOnline, the King was left worried after failing to connect with his longtime friend Sir Ranulph Fiennes, an explorer who’s withdrawn from the spotlight amid his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of failing
Verb
  • The tall foliage of bearded iris (Iris germanica) begins flopping early in the growing season.
    — Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The fish looks straight at me, flopping sluggishly from side to side.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of flopping
Verb
  • Mitchell-Namdar said Pink Aid’s mission is to provide emergency aid assistance to those struggling during treatment, whether that means paying an electric bill, rent, offering wigs or lymphedema sleeves.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Many mid- and late-career working-class comics who would normally build the bridge to younger generations are struggling to make a living.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • Its richer-blue-gradient dial and updated double-folding clasp further refined the formula.
    — Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The vendors spread their wares—the fake Louis Vuitton bags, Rolex watches, Gucci wallets, and Prada sunglasses—across blankets and folding tables.
    — Daniel Edward Rosen, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of folding
Verb
  • Sacramento County sheriff’s officials on Friday asked the public to help find a missing woman who was last seen more than a week ago and is considered at risk.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The bottles were being prepped for a shipment abroad, and employees only found the wine was missing upon their arrival on Monday morning, according to the publication.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of missing

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foundering
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Cite this Entry

“Foundering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foundering. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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