founder


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Related to founder: Founder effect

founder

to fall or sink down; to become wrecked; to stumble; collapse; succumb: The project foundered because public support was lacking.
Not to be confused with:
flounder – to struggle clumsily: He floundered helplessly on the first day of his new job.; falter; waver; flop about; a marine flatfish
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

foun·der 1

 (foun′dər)
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: A large wave foundered the boat.
n.

[Middle English foundren, to sink to the ground, from Old French fondrer, from Vulgar Latin *funderāre, 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 101, he had better drop the course; if he is floundering, he may yet pull through.

found·er 2

 (foun′dər)
n.
One who establishes something or formulates the basis for something: the founder of a university.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

founder

(ˈfaʊndə)
n
a person who establishes an institution, company, society, etc
[C14: see found2]

founder

(ˈfaʊndə)
vb (intr)
1. (Nautical Terms) (of a ship) to sink
2. to break down or fail: the project foundered.
3. to sink into or become stuck in soft ground
4. to fall in or give way; collapse
5. (Veterinary Science) (of a horse) to stumble or go lame
6. (Veterinary Science) archaic (of animals, esp livestock) to become ill from overeating
n
(Veterinary Science) vet science another name for laminitis
[C13: from Old French fondrer to submerge, from Latin fundus bottom; see found2]
Usage: Founder is sometimes wrongly used where flounder is meant: this unexpected turn of events left him floundering (not foundering)

founder

(ˈfaʊndə)
n
(Professions)
a. a person who makes metal castings
b. (in combination): an iron founder.
[C15: see found3]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

found•er1

(ˈfaʊn dər)

n.
one who founds or establishes.
[1275–1325]

foun•der2

(ˈfaʊn dər)

v.i.
1. to fill with water and sink: The ship foundered.
2. to sink; subside.
3. to become wrecked; fail utterly: The project foundered.
4. (of a horse) to suffer from laminitis.
v.t.
5. to cause to suffer from laminitis.
n.
[1300–50; Middle English < Middle French fondrer « Latin fundus bottom]

found•er3

(ˈfaʊn dər)

n.
one who founds metal or type.
[1175–1225]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

founder


Past participle: foundered
Gerund: foundering

Imperative
founder
founder
Present
I founder
you founder
he/she/it founders
we founder
you founder
they founder
Preterite
I foundered
you foundered
he/she/it foundered
we foundered
you foundered
they foundered
Present Continuous
I am foundering
you are foundering
he/she/it is foundering
we are foundering
you are foundering
they are foundering
Present Perfect
I have foundered
you have foundered
he/she/it has foundered
we have foundered
you have foundered
they have foundered
Past Continuous
I was foundering
you were foundering
he/she/it was foundering
we were foundering
you were foundering
they were foundering
Past Perfect
I had foundered
you had foundered
he/she/it had foundered
we had foundered
you had foundered
they had foundered
Future
I will founder
you will founder
he/she/it will founder
we will founder
you will founder
they will founder
Future Perfect
I will have foundered
you will have foundered
he/she/it will have foundered
we will have foundered
you will have foundered
they will have foundered
Future Continuous
I will be foundering
you will be foundering
he/she/it will be foundering
we will be foundering
you will be foundering
they will be foundering
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been foundering
you have been foundering
he/she/it has been foundering
we have been foundering
you have been foundering
they have been foundering
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been foundering
you will have been foundering
he/she/it will have been foundering
we will have been foundering
you will have been foundering
they will have been foundering
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been foundering
you had been foundering
he/she/it had been foundering
we had been foundering
you had been foundering
they had been foundering
Conditional
I would founder
you would founder
he/she/it would founder
we would founder
you would founder
they would founder
Past Conditional
I would have foundered
you would have foundered
he/she/it would have foundered
we would have foundered
you would have foundered
they would have foundered
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.founder - inflammation of the laminated tissue that attaches the hoof to the foot of a horse
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 institutionfounder - a person who founds or establishes some institution; "George Washington is the father of his country"
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
Verb1.founder - fail utterly; collapse; "The project foundered"
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 metaphoricallyfounder - 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"
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"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

founder

1

founder

2
verb
2. sink, go down, be lost, submerge, capsize, go to the bottom Three ships foundered in heavy seas.
Usage: Founder is sometimes wrongly used where flounder is meant: this unexpected turn of events left him floundering (not foundering).
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

founder 1

verb
To go beneath the surface or to the bottom of a liquid:

founder 2

noun
One that creates, founds, or originates:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مؤَسِّس
zakladatel
grundlæggerstifter
asutaja
stofnandi
fundatorzałożyciel
zakladateľ
ustanovitelj
kurucu

founder

1 [ˈfaʊndəʳ]
A. N (= originator) → fundador(a) m/f
B. CPD founder member N (Brit) → miembro mf fundador(a)

founder

2 [ˈfaʊndəʳ] VI (Naut) → hundirse, irse a pique (fig) → fracasar (on debido a)
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

founder

[ˈfaʊndər]
nfondateur/trice m/f
vi
[ship] → couler, sombrer
[negotiations, talks] → échouerfounder member n (British)membre m fondateurfounding father n (= founder) [institution, organization, idea] → père m fondateurFounding Fathers npl
the Founding Fathers → les pères mpl fondateurs
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

founder

1
n (of school, colony, organization etc)Gründer(in) m(f); (of charity, museum)Stifter(in) m(f)

founder

2
vi
(ship: = sink) → sinken, untergehen
(horse etc: = stumble) → straucheln, stolpern
(fig: = fail, plan, project) → scheitern, fehlschlagen; (hopes)auf den Nullpunkt sinken

founder

3
n (Metal) → Gießer(in) m(f)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

founder

1 [ˈfaʊndəʳ] nfondatore/trice

founder

2 [ˈfaʊndəʳ] vi (Naut) (also) (fig) → affondare, colare a picco
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

found2

(faund) verb
1. to start or establish. The school was founded by the king.
2. (with on/upon) to base on. The story was founded upon fact.
founˈdation noun
1. the act of founding. the foundation of a new university.
2. the base on which something is built. First they laid the foundations, then they built the walls.
3. an amount of money to be used for a special purpose or the organization that manages it. The British Foundation for Cancer Research.
ˈfounder noun
a person who founds a school, college, organization etc. We commemorate the founder of the school.
ˈfounding noun
The founding of the organization took place a long time ago.
ˈfounding ˈfather noun
1. the first or one of the first founders of an organization, a school of thought etc. the founding father of psychoanalysis.
2. The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were the people who drew up its constitution.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
Towards evening the mate and boatswain begged the master of our ship to let them cut away the fore-mast, which he was very unwilling to do; but the boatswain protesting to him that if he did not the ship would founder, he consented; and when they had cut away the fore-mast, the main-mast stood so loose, and shook the ship so much, they were obliged to cut that away also, and make a clear deck.
And it was I who knew the combination at a glance, after years and years, when the fateful whim seized Raffles to play once more in the Old Boys' Match, and his will took me down with him to participate in the milder festivities of Founder's Day.
Of the first, those that had an humble origin and rose to the greatness they still preserve, the Ottoman house may serve as an example, which from an humble and lowly shepherd, its founder, has reached the height at which we now see it.
Yet, as the original founder of the Roman State is said once to have lifted upon his shoulders the fame and fortunes of all his posterity, so let us never forget that the glory and greatness of all our descendants is in our hands.
For all which I shall not look on myself as accountable to any court of critical jurisdiction whatever: for as I am, in reality, the founder of a new province of writing, so I am at liberty to make what laws I please therein.
It is not wholly irrespective of our personal feelings that we record HIM as the Mentor of our young Telemachus, for it is good to know that our town produced the founder of the latter's fortunes.
But the visionary shapes of a long posterity, for whose home this mansion was intended, have faded into nothingness since the death of the founder's only son.
"I will sell it to the founder," he said; "with the money I shall get for it I shall buy a measure of wheat."
It was necessary that Romulus should not remain in Alba, and that he should be abandoned at his birth, in order that he should become King of Rome and founder of the fatherland.
The man killed next after them, Aerias, we should judge to have been a Lacedemonian and founder of Aeria.
Now if Barbicane was a great founder of shot, Nicholl was a great forger of plates; the one cast night and day at Baltimore, the other forged day and night at Philadelphia.
The true marshalling of the degrees of sovereign honor, are these: In the first place are conditores imperiorum, founders of states and commonwealths; such as were Romulus, Cyrus, Caesar, Ottoman, Ismael.

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