foundering

So my mind sinks in this immensity: and foundering is sweet in such a sea.

The Raptures of a Tragic Visionary Eric Ormsby 2010

So after eight straight losses when you read some of the press about what's going on with the Hillary Clinton campaign, the word foundering is seen a lot.

CNN Transcript Feb 13, 2008 2008

Neglect of this precaution may cause "foundering," which has ruined many a fine horse.

Outdoor Sports and Games Claude H. Miller

So too it is to listen to the thunder of one of them "foundering"; for their equilibrium is very unstable, and the action of the sea, as they travel southwards to their death in the Gulf Stream, cuts them away at the surface of the water.

Le Petit Nord or, Annals of a Labrador Harbour Katie Spalding 1911

"foundering" and that Europe's days as a world power are over.

Democracy Journal 2010

For many, the incident—how the ship veered off course, the internationally broadcast images of its foundering, the struggle over who would take initiative to save those aboard—has become emblematic of a country struggling to right itself after a decade in the economic doldrums.

Italy Probes Captain's Call With Boss Stacy Meichtry 2012

And then you hear the chap is no longer with us, as if the foreground were a busy harbor and out at sea a ship was foundering, comically unattended as it sunk and perished forever.

If I Could Have a Conversation about It: Decline and Fall « Unknowing 2010

Consider that Yahoo is foundering and has pretty much destroyed all the properties it has acquired in the past.

Tony Greenberg: Amazon to Beat All Suitors For Hulu? Tony Greenberg 2011

So Bush's tenure of 8 years wasn't in denial about a foundering economy, spending billions on a failed war in Iraq and a continuation of a status quo that included offshoring of our manufacturing, skyrocketing healthcare costs and decline of US standing worldwide?

First on the Ticker: RNC Web video targets 'White House in denial' 2009

The Capitals' foundering power play is nothing new this season.

Capitals still searching for answers on the power play Katie Carrera 2011