running aground
Striking the seabed
Running aground is when a boat or ship hits the bottom in shallow water and becomes stuck.
The phrase extends to any venture that founders unexpectedly: The merger talks ran aground over pension obligations.
A project runs aground when it hits an obstacle that stops progress entirely.
- strandingLeaving helplessly isolated
- beachingLanding on shore
- high and dryAbandoned and helpless
- shipwreckDestroyed vessel at sea
- shallow waterLow-depth aquatic area
impasse · sandbar · vessel · stuck · dead in the water · reef · rocky shore · maritime · rudder · blockage · immobility · draft · stagnation · mishap · keel · shoal · sailor · tugboat
- seamanshipseamanship, steering, anchoring, navigation, chartwork
- Maritime Disastersshipwreck, sinking, capsizing, foundering, drowning
- navigation errorsmissed exit, wrong direction, wrong way, off course, getting lost
nautical success/failure
running agroundsmooth sailing
Untroubled progress forward
safe passage · clear sailing · plain sailing · making headway · on track
running, aground, runner, runners, runny, ground, grounds, grounded, grounding