founder2
[foun-der]
- (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.
Show More
- 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.
Show More
- Veterinary Pathology. laminitis.
Show More
Origin of founder2
1300–50; Middle English foundren < Middle French fondrer to plunge to the bottom, submerge < Vulgar Latin *fundorāre, derivative of *fundor-, taken as stem of Latin fundus bottom
Synonyms
See more synonyms for founder on Thesaurus.com3. collapse, perish, succumb, topple, sink; flop.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for foundered
Contemporary Examples
And then it foundered for a while and someone else picked it up.
In 1972, Libya, Egypt, and Syria announce a “Federation of Arab Republics” that foundered after disagreements among the members.
As DreamWorks foundered, the animation division had to be split from live-action into a separate company.
Historical Examples
But after a skirmish or two, what with the roads and what with the enemy, our horses were foundered and useless.
Micah ClarkeArthur Conan Doyle
It was the second submarine I saw on the night she foundered.
The Cruise of the Dry DockT. S. Stribling
And yet, is it not taking to the raft before the ship has foundered?
BarringtonCharles James Lever
There she lay for two or three minutes before she foundered.
Danger! and Other StoriesArthur Conan Doyle
The other was more fortunate, and got clear just before we foundered.
KilgormanTalbot Baines Reed
founder1
- a person who establishes an institution, company, society, etc
Show More
Word Origin
C14: see found ²
founder2
- (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
Show More
- vet science another name for laminitis
Show More
Word Origin
C13: from Old French fondrer to submerge, from Latin fundus bottom; see found ²
usage
Founder is sometimes wrongly used where flounder is meant: this unexpected turn of events left him floundering (not foundering)
founder3
- a person who makes metal castings
- (in combination)an iron founder
Show More
Word Origin
C15: see found ³
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for foundered
founder
v.
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.
Show More
founder
n.1
"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)).
Show More
founder
n.2
"one who casts metal," c.1400, agent noun from found (v.2).
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
founder
(foun′dər)- 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.
Show More
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.