1
as in collapsing
to be unsuccessful
the theater company foundered after its corporate funding dried up
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foundering
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
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
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
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
Noun
-
With a top altitude of 1,100 feet, this position at the highest point in the AVA offers warmer nighttime temperatures than the valley floor thanks to the warm air rising and cool air sinking, while daytime temperatures are lower than in areas closer to sea level.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
17 May 2026
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After the sinking, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported the Ursa Major was carrying port cranes and hatches designed to cover the nuclear reactors of a new icebreaker being built in Vladivostok.—
Pau Mosquera,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Because of his show’s cancellation, a wormhole opened up backstage at the Ed Sullivan Theater, collapsing the space between his Strike Force Five co-hosts.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
22 May 2026
-
Seattle’s economy, far from collapsing, continued to boom.—
Nick Hanauer,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
And that’s what sent me sort of tumbling down the rabbit hole.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
16 May 2026
-
The resulting brawl saw the alligator rapidly tumbling at the officers like a log rolling down hill.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
12 May 2026
Verb
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But many of the spillways are failing due to sea-level rise, according to the agency that controls them, and the anticipated 5 to 20 inches of sea-level rise in coming decades will be catastrophic for the region unless something drastic, and expensive, is done.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
23 May 2026
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There are gags in I Love Boosters straight out of Looney Tunes, like Corvette trying (and failing) to run out of Christie’s leaning condo building with the speed of Woody Woodpecker.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
23 May 2026
Verb
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Trimming by half will keep the foliage from completely flopping over and retaining too much moisture around the crown.—
Marie Iannotti,
The Spruce,
9 May 2026
-
Much of the discussion following the game is about flopping and supposed favorable whistles for the Thunder.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Many libraries’ orders went unfulfilled, and all but the largest ones were left struggling to get popular titles to their patrons.—
Adeel Hassan,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Across Oahu’s North Shore, an area famed for its big-wave surfing, the small farms that help supply the island’s food are struggling after back-to-back storms in March brought the state’s worst flooding in two decades.—
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Online, this generally meant that creators encouraged their followers to pair a healthy habit with a fun or existing one (scrolling while walking on the treadmill, for example) or to just link two good behaviors together (folding laundry between breaks of your at-home workout).—
Julia Landwehr,
Health,
18 May 2026
-
It is still barely decorated, just a corkboard pinned with photos of the boys and a folding table covered with stacks of reports.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Is an important event missing from this date?—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
Some six months later came his two-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit for missing tests, a violation of the antidoping code that doesn't necessarily mean an athlete is taking drugs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foundering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foundering. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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