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foundering

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.03 sec.
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.

[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.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.foundering - (of a ship) sinking
ship - a vessel that carries passengers or freight
sinking - a descent as through liquid (especially through water); "they still talk about the sinking of the Titanic"

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Some were condensing air into a dry tangible substance, by extracting the nitre, and letting the aqueous or fluid particles percolate; others softening marble, for pillows and pin-cushions; others petrifying the hoofs of a living horse, to preserve them from foundering.
They were in shallow water; the vessel struck repeatedly, the waves broke over her, and there was danger of her foundering.
To my surprise, my clothes had dried on me and there seemed no indications of catching cold, either from the last soaking or from the prolonged soaking from the foundering of the Martinez.
 
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