1
as in collapsing
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 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
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Recent Examples of foundering
Dino Grandoni The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foundering
Verb
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The robotics system will coordinate multiple robotic arms to perform many tasks at once, collapsing what used to be three separate robotic stations into one streamlined workspace that can pick, stow, and consolidate in a single place.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Oct. 2025
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The risk of the roof collapsing prompted the city to take final action against the owner of the former bowling alley.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Despite the latest meme stock frenzy, Beyond Meat has nonetheless still fallen 23% so far in 2025 after tumbling 58% in 2024.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
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But that would likely send it tumbling, which would raise inflation and undermine one of Milei’s main achievements.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The most common cause is underwater earthquakes that force the seafloor to move vertically, either rising or sinking, which displaces massive volumes of water.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
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The ship is so famous because its sinking was disastrous, but not tragic – Shackleton guided all 27 crew members to safety and was able to slowly remove cargo, supplies and boats before the vessel sank.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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They were also charged and arrested with crimes, from failing to do their duty to causing the conditions that led to the deaths of the men.—
Laura Schulte,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Some figures within the music industry have already spoken out about how AI giants are failing to compensate creators properly, with music legend Paul McCartney urging governments to legislate to ensure human musicians get their due.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Van Gogh, now visually fitting in with his family, then scampered about his habitat with his ears flopping along with him.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
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With Ares flopping, the insider says Leto’s currency in town has run colder than Morbius’ vampire blood.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Six of their big chances came against struggling Forest, with Newcastle converting just one of those, while four more came in the wild 3-2 defeat against Liverpool.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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Despite rapid growth, many marketers remain in the early stages of maturity—focused on automating legacy processes and struggling to measure ROI.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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View gallery - 9 images The new Hex from New Zealand company KEA Outdoors looks like an unassuming folding EDC (everyday carry) knife upon first glance.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Oct. 2025
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Continue folding them, following the angle of the cuts, until the crust is entirely pleated.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Lakers ruled out seven players ahead of their matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, with the likes of Vincent, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Adou Thiero, Jaxson Hayes, Maxi Kleber and Marcus Smart all missing the contest.—
acoloma,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Oct. 2025
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Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan also address what other fan-favorite contests missing from last season might return.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foundering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foundering. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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