- (of a ship, boat, etc.) to fill with water and sink.
- to fall or sink down, as buildings, ground, etc.: Built on a former lake bed, the building has foundered nearly ten feet.
- to become wrecked; fail utterly: The project foundered because public support was lacking.
- to stumble, break down, or go lame, as a horse: His mount foundered on the rocky path.
- to become ill from overeating.
- Veterinary Pathology. (of a horse) to suffer from laminitis.
- to cause to fill with water and sink: Rough seas had foundered the ship in mid-ocean.
- Veterinary Pathology. to cause (a horse) to break down, go lame, or suffer from laminitis.
- Veterinary Pathology. laminitis.
Origin of founder2
SynonymsSee more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
Examples from the Web for foundered
And then it foundered for a while and someone else picked it up.R.L. Stine’s Secret to Scaring the Crap Out of Kids
October 3, 2014
In 1972, Libya, Egypt, and Syria announce a “Federation of Arab Republics” that foundered after disagreements among the members.Muammar Gaddafi's 25 Strangest Moments
David A. Graham
February 23, 2011
As DreamWorks foundered, the animation division had to be split from live-action into a separate company.A Taxpayer Bailout for DreamWorks Animation?
March 19, 2009
But after a skirmish or two, what with the roads and what with the enemy, our horses were foundered and useless.Micah Clarke
Arthur Conan Doyle
It was the second submarine I saw on the night she foundered.The Cruise of the Dry Dock
T. S. Stribling
And yet, is it not taking to the raft before the ship has foundered?Barrington
Charles James Lever
There she lay for two or three minutes before she foundered.Danger! and Other Stories
Arthur Conan Doyle
The other was more fortunate, and got clear just before we foundered.Kilgorman
Talbot Baines Reed
- a person who establishes an institution, company, society, etc
- (of a ship) to sink
- to break down or failthe project foundered
- to sink into or become stuck in soft ground
- to fall in or give way; collapse
- (of a horse) to stumble or go lame
- archaic (of animals, esp livestock) to become ill from overeating
- vet science another name for laminitis
- a person who makes metal castings
- (in combination)an iron founder
Word Origin and History for foundered
early 14c., from Old French fondrer "collapse; submerge, sink, fall to the bottom," from fond "bottom," from Latin fundus "bottom, foundation" (see fund (n.)). Related: Foundered; foundering.
"one who establishes, one who sets up or institutes something," mid-14c., from Anglo-French fundur, Old French fondeor, from Latin fundator, agent noun from fundare (see found (v.1)).
"one who casts metal," c.1400, agent noun from found (v.2).
- To stumble, especially to stumble and go lame. Used of horses.
- To become ill from overeating. Used of livestock.
- To be afflicted with laminitis. Used of horses.