foundering

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

foundering
    n 1: (of a ship) sinking [syn: {foundering}, {going under}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Founder \Found"er\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Foundered}; p. pr. &
   vb. n. {Foundering}.] [OF. fondrer to fall in, cf. F.
   s'effondrer, fr. fond bottom, L. fundus. See {Found} to
   establish.]
   1. (Naut.) To become filled with water, and sink, as a ship.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To fall; to stumble and go lame, as a horse.
      [1913 Webster]

            For which his horse fear['e] gan to turn,
            And leep aside, and foundrede as he leep. --Chaucer.
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   3. To fail; to miscarry. "All his tricks founder." --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

29 Moby Thesaurus words for "foundering":
      collapsing, deciduous, declining, declivitous, decurrent,
      descendant, descending, down, down-reaching, downcoming,
      downfalling, downgoing, downhill, downsinking, downward, drooping,
      dropping, falling, on the descendant, on the downgrade, plummeting,
      plunging, sagging, setting, sinking, submerging, subsiding,
      tottering, tumbledown