take on water

• take in water

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take on water (third-person singular simple present takes on water, present participle taking on water, simple past took on water, past participle taken on water)

1. (of a ship, boat, or other watercraft) To slowly fill with water, as due to a leak or being washed by high waves; to begin to sink.
   • 2012 January 31, Charlie Cooper, Simon Rice, “How six would-be record-breakers ended up in seriously deep water”, in Independent, UK, retrieved 8 January 2016:

     The skipper, Matt Craughwell, said their boat had begun to take on water after being tossed, stern upwards, by huge waves.

2. (idiomatic, by extension) To be in an increasingly difficult or risky situation; to falter or begin to fail.
   • 1994 January 2, Peter Passell, “Clear Today; Tomorrow, Who Knows?; Catch '94”, in New York Times, retrieved 8 January 2016:

     While the heartland is chugging right along, the economies of Southern California and New England are still taking on water.

   • 2012 June 22, Jennifer Rubin, “Why defend Obama’s abuse of executive privilege?”, in Washington Post, retrieved 8 January 2016:

     Democrats on Capitol Hill . . . are struggling not to go down with the Obama campaign (which is taking on water at an alarming rate).

   • 2014 March 26, Mike Ozanian, “Baseball Team Values 2014 Led By New York Yankees At $2.5 Billion”, in Forbes, retrieved 8 January 2016:

     The team refinanced $250 million of debt and is no longer taking on water under the leadership of GM Sandy Alderson.