founder
verb/ˈfaʊndə(r)/
/ˈfaʊndər/
(formal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they founder | /ˈfaʊndə(r)/ /ˈfaʊndər/ |
| he / she / it founders | /ˈfaʊndəz/ /ˈfaʊndərz/ |
| past simple foundered | /ˈfaʊndəd/ /ˈfaʊndərd/ |
| past participle foundered | /ˈfaʊndəd/ /ˈfaʊndərd/ |
| -ing form foundering | /ˈfaʊndərɪŋ/ /ˈfaʊndərɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] (of a plan, attempt, etc.) to fail, especially because of a particular problem or difficulty
- The project foundered after problems with funding.
- The venture might easily founder for want of capital to finance expansion.
- founder on something The peace talks foundered on a basic lack of trust.
- [intransitive] founder (on something) (of a ship) to fill with water and sink
- Our boat foundered on a reef.
Word Originverb Middle English (in the sense ‘knock to the ground’): from Old French fondrer, esfondrer ‘submerge, collapse’, based on Latin fundus ‘bottom, base’.
Check pronunciation:
founder