founder

foun·der ¹  (foundr)

v. foun·dered, foun·der·ing, foun·ders

v.intr.

1. To sink below the surface of the water: The ship struck a reef and foundered.

2. To cave in; sink: The platform swayed and then foundered.

3. To fail utterly; collapse: a marriage that soon foundered.

4. To stumble, especially to stumble and go lame. Used of horses.

5. To become ill from overeating. Used of livestock.

6. To be afflicted with laminitis. Used of horses.

v.tr.

To cause to founder.

n.

See laminitis.

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[Middle English foundren, to sink to the ground, from Old French fondrer, from Vulgar Latin *funderre, from *fundus, *funder-, bottom, from Latin fundus, fund-.]

Usage Note: The verbs founder and flounder are often confused. Founder comes from a Latin word meaning "bottom" (as in foundation) and originally referred to knocking enemies down; it is now also used to mean "to fail utterly, collapse." Flounder means "to move clumsily, thrash about," and hence "to proceed in confusion." If John is foundering in Chemistry 1, he had better drop the course; if he is floundering, he may yet pull through.

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found·er ²  (foundr)

n.

One who establishes something or formulates the basis for something: the founder of a university; the founders of a new nation.

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founder

Verb

1. to break down or fail: his negotiations have foundered on economic grounds

2. (of a ship) to sink

3. to sink into or become stuck in soft ground

4. (of a horse) to stumble or go lame [Old French fondrer to submerge]

USAGE: Founder is sometimes wrongly used where flounder is meant: this unexpected turn of events left him floundering (not foundering).

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	founder - inflammation of the laminated tissue that attaches the hoof to the foot of a horse laminitis inflammation, redness, rubor - a response of body tissues to injury or irritation; characterized by pain and swelling and redness and heat
	2.	founder - a person who founds or establishes some institution; "George Washington is the father of his country" beginner, founding father, father cofounder - one of a group of founders coloniser, colonizer - someone who helps to found a colony foundress - a woman founder conceiver, mastermind, originator - someone who creates new things
	3.	founder - a worker who makes metal castings bell founder - a person who casts metal bells skilled worker, skilled workman, trained worker - a worker who has acquired special skills
Verb	1.	founder - fail utterly; collapse; "The project foundered" fall flat, fall through, flop go wrong, miscarry, fail - be unsuccessful; "Where do today's public schools fail?"; "The attempt to rescue the hostages failed miserably"
	2.	founder - sink below the surface go under, go down, sink, settle - go under, "The raft sank and its occupants drowned"
	3.	founder - break down, literally or metaphorically; "The wall collapsed"; "The business collapsed"; "The dam broke"; "The roof collapsed"; "The wall gave in"; "The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice" cave in, collapse, fall in, give way, give, break change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" implode, go off - burst inward; "The bottle imploded" abandon, give up - stop maintaining or insisting on; of ideas or claims; "He abandoned the thought of asking for her hand in marriage"; "Both sides have to give up some claims in these negotiations" buckle, crumple - fold or collapse; "His knees buckled" flop - fall loosely; "He flopped into a chair" break - curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves; "The surf broke" slide down, slump, sink - fall or sink heavily; "He slumped onto the couch"; "My spirits sank" collapse, burst - cause to burst; "The ice broke the pipe"
	4.	founder - stumble and nearly fall; "the horses foundered" trip, stumble - miss a step and fall or nearly fall; "She stumbled over the tree root"

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founder ¹

noun initiator, father, establisher, author, maker, framer, designer, architect, builder, creator, beginner, generator, inventor, organizer, patriarch, benefactor, originator, constructor, institutor

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founder ²

verb 1. fail, collapse, break down, abort, fall through, be unsuccessful, come to nothing, come unstuck, miscarry, misfire, fall by the wayside, come to grief, bite the dust, go belly-up (slang) go down like a lead balloon (informal)

verb 2. sink, go down, be lost, submerge, capsize, go to the bottom

USAGE Founder is sometimes wrongly used where flounder is meant: this unexpected turn of events left him floundering (not foundering).

Translations

founder [ˈfaundəʳ] n → fundador(a) m/f

vi → irse a pique

founder [ˈfaundəʳ] n → fondateur m

vi → couler, sombrer

founder [ˈfaundəʳ] found n → Gründer(in) m(f)

vi (ship) → sinken

founder [ˈfaundəʳ] n → fondatore/trice

vi → affondare