a sinking ship

sinking ship

A failing or floundering organization or entity. After all of the recent layoffs, most consider the company a sinking ship.
See also: ship, sink
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

a sinking ship

If an organization or cause is a sinking ship, it is failing and unlikely to recover. Insiders regard the company as a sinking ship. Note: You can also say that someone abandons, deserts or leaves a sinking ship, to mean that they leave an organization or activity which is about to fail. I know some people will say that I am leaving a sinking ship. He seems to be suggesting that we're deserting a sinking ship, but that's not the case. Compare with like rats deserting a sinking ship.
See also: ship, sink
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
See also:
  • sinking ship
  • go down with the ship
  • abandon ship
  • break ship
  • be broad in the beam
  • when (one's) ship comes in
  • when one's ship comes in
  • when ship comes in
  • when someone's ship comes in
  • when your ship/boat comes in
References in periodicals archive
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)/NewDelhi [India], July 30 ( ANI ): With six Congress MLAs having quit in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said that the grand old party is now a sinking ship as their cadres are losing faith in the party leadership.
"The Congress has become a sinking ship and the senior leaders, who did not get respect, are now openly saying that they don't want to continue with them.
Gujarat MLAs exodus: BJP brands Congress a 'sinking ship'
MARINE conservationists save a sinking ship's 40-strong crew, ending a record 110-day chase of the suspected poaching vessel.
Rainbow rescuers
While they sit and toast their wealth They failed to hear the cries for help But rats are always first to flee A sinking ship lost out at sea.
Poets' corner