FOUNDERED Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

foundered

verb

past tense of founder

as in collapsed

to be unsuccessful the theater company foundered after its corporate funding dried up

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in tumbled

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

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 foundered But these initial efforts largely foundered, failing to establish sufficient trading interest or a deep retail market, in part due to competition from already-liquid options markets. — Bruce Blythe, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026 Bad schools foundered in part because there weren’t enough wealthy parents holding the institutions accountable. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026 Even before this high-profile addition to his staff, Chesney was already building early momentum in his significant rebuilding project at a program that has foundered over the past decade. — Greg Beacham, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 Previous attempts to reach an agreement have foundered amid mutual suspicion and each side's insistence that the other must move first. — Nidal Al-Mughrabi, USA Today, 31 July 2026 On screen, some of our best artists have foundered in translation. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 June 2026 But the president didn’t make clear why a federal takeover of a small airline that has foundered for years would be an efficient use of capital or benefit American taxpayers. — Editorial, Boston Herald, 2 May 2026 The site contains remains from multiple vessels, suggesting a history of merchant ships that likely foundered in the same treacherous area while approaching the shore. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 28 Mar. 2026 Courts have interpreted Section 230 immunity broadly, and many earlier attempts to hold platforms accountable for child harm have foundered on it. — Carolina Rossini, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for foundered

Verb

Messi collapsed to the turf as his teammates, delirious, ran to hug him.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Jim Bakker, the pioneering TV evangelist who became a symbol of the glitz and greed of the 1980s when his PTL empire near Charlotte collapsed amid scandals, died Monday.

— Melissa Rodriguez, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of collapsed

Verb

Webull — Shares tumbled 20% after CNBC reported that a congressional panel found that Webull's ties to the Chinese government create a national security risk .

— Fred Imbert, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
The father lifted the child to check out the hotel's waterpark visible from a window when the boy somehow slipped and tumbled 12 meters (about 40 feet), falling to his death.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of tumbled

Verb

All of this lends itself to a mid-single-digit opening at 2,200 theaters for Social Reckoning, perhaps around $8M (where Tom Cruise’s $160M Digger flopped).

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
While the warehouse project has flopped, records show that in the last few months ICE has quietly expanded its detention system in other ways.

— Jasmine Garsd, NPR, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of flopped

Verb

The Ducks failed, with Tyson Ford and Jalen Woods stuffing Thomas on the one-yard line.

— Elias Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Court records show that attorneys representing Marshall repeatedly asked judges to issue arrest warrants for former patients who failed to appear in court.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of failed

Verb

During demonstrations, the researchers folded the material diagonally in opposite directions, and its digital counterpart followed the changing geometry.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
The girls of summer Women's pro baseball has been largely inactive in this country since the pioneering All-American Girls Professional Baseball League folded 72 years ago.

— David Morgan, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of folded

Verb

While guys such as Will Smith and Chris Stratton were key during the 2024 playoff run, the Royals have struggled to hit on reliable veteran help.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2026
Halloran-Koren said Nicole struggled with drugs — as so many have in Kensington.

— Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggled

Browse Nearby Words

founder

foundered

foundering

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Foundered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foundered. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of foundered

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

deportment

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes