1
as in collapsing
to be unsuccessful
the theater company foundered after its corporate funding dried up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foundering
Verb
-
Those traditional systems are now collapsing alongside aquifers, and ancient settlements in Yazd in central Iran, Kerman in southeast Iran, and Khorasan in northeastern Iran have been abandoned as qanats dried up, aquifers caved in, and land subsided.—
Nik Kowsar,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025 -
Some of the homes now collapsing were once a few lots back from the beach, local residents told USA TODAY.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Federal funds allowed many schools to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite tumbling enrollment numbers.—
Jeremy Tanner,
The Hill,
29 Sep. 2025
-
An unnamed climber lost control while glissading down another route, Avalanche Gulch, tumbling several hundred feet down the mountain.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Because the attack came at the end of the war, and the U-boat had not received orders of any surrender, the sinking of the Eagle was reported as an engineering and boiler failure rather than an escalatory attack from a foreign adversary.—
Leanna Renee Hieber,
Big Think,
2 Oct. 2025
-
For the fortieth anniversary of the sinking in 2015, bassist Rick Haynes and Lightfoot flew from a concert in Utica, New York, on their only day off from their tour, to the Upper Peninsula, then drove to Whitefish Point for an event — and not to play, just to be there with the families.—
John U. Bacon,
Rolling Stone,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The defense missed a few key stops, failing to protect a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Harrington's sump pump had malfunctioned, failing to push rising waters back outside.—
Tamia Fowlkes,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Splinter after splinter flopping onto the stone threshold, tsss, tsss, hissing like a nest of vipers.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
-
This Colombian has been flopping in the US since 2003, has apparently not had a job since 2014.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Maybe new additions will boost a struggling position group.—
Antonio Morales,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The ever-paranoid Ally believes all of these headscratchers are part of a Trumpian conspiracy that's out to get her, but audiences were left struggling to connect the dots.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But instead of folding in the face of adversity, Penix rose to the occasion and put together arguably the best performance of his career, which has seemingly given him a huge confidence boost moving forward.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Hayslett dropped the news during her recent stop on The Breakfast Club, folding her growing empire into a platform designed to amplify Black voices.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Information that was missing also caught the attention of the experts Joan consulted.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
30 Sep. 2025
-
But a chunk of the typical campus demographic was missing.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Foundering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foundering. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share