flounder

noun

floun·der | \ ˈflau̇n-dər

plural flounder or flounders

Definition of flounder

(Entry 1 of 2)

: flatfish especially : any of various marine fishes (families Pleuronectidae, Paralichthyidae, and Bothidae) that include important food fishes

flounder

verb

floundered; floundering\ ˈflau̇n-d(ə-)riŋ

Definition of flounder (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to struggle to move or obtain footing : thrash about wildly The poor horse was floundering in the mud.

2 : to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually the normally surefooted governor floundered a moment like a prize pupil caught unprepared — Time

Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about flounder

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Synonyms for flounder

Synonyms: Verb

blunder, bumble, flog [British], limp, lumber, plod, struggle, stumble, trudge

Did You Know?

Verb

Despite the fact that flounder is a relatively common English verb, its origins in the language remain obscure. It is thought that it may be an alteration of an older verb, founder. To founder is to become disabled, to give way or collapse, or to come to grief or to fail. In the case of a waterborne vessel, to founder is to sink. The oldest of these senses of founder, "to become disabled," was also used, particularly in reference to a horse and its rider, for the act of stumbling violently or collapsing. It may have been this sense of founder that later appeared in altered form as flounder in the sense of "to stumble."

Examples of flounder in a Sentence

Verb

The horses were floundering through the deep snow. He was floundering around in the pool like an amateur. After watching me flounder for a few minutes, my instructor took over.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Worryingly, about a third of the time, the halibut was actually raw olive flounder, which commonly contains parasites. — Gemma Zoe Price, WSJ, "The Fish Industry Is Plagued by Poor Quality and Fraud. One Chef Is Working to Combat It," 19 July 2018 The researchers aren’t saying sea bass and flounder would no longer be found off areas such as the New Jersey coast, but their main habitats could move, forcing fishing operations to roam further, spending more time at sea and burning more gas. — Frank Kummer, Philly.com, "N.J. flounder, sea bass pushed north because of climate change, say scientists," 18 May 2018 Cod, pollock, flounders and other whitefish are being hauled in from the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. — Laine Welch, Anchorage Daily News, "For Alaska sockeye salmon, record highs in Bristol Bay, record lows nearly everywhere else," 9 July 2018 The company has bet on appliance sales as rival Sears Holdings flounders. — Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY, "J.C. Penney stock plunges as cold weather zaps sales," 17 May 2018 Summertime highlights include Buffalo brussels sprouts with blue cheese mousse, bluefish cakes, and fish tacos made with Vineyard flounder. — Alyssa Giacobbe, Town & Country, "T&C Travel Guide: The Best of Martha's Vineyard," 13 June 2018 When studying populations of a flounder-like North Sea fish called plaice in the early 1900’s, a man named Heincke noticed that older, larger fish are found deeper in the water than younger, smaller fish. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Ecological “law” turns out to just be the result of us fishing," 8 June 2018 That word was originally used to describe an early GMO tomato variety that contained a flounder gene. — Kevin Begos, Smithsonian, "The Quest to Grow the First Great American Wine Grape," 6 June 2018 But Virak Uy, a Cambodian refugee who is the director of the college’s new Program for Asian American Student Advancement, had no intention of letting her flounder. — Linda K. Wertheimer, New York Times, "At Middlesex Community College, Extra Help for Asian Students," 5 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Relying on outdated and inaccurate census data, the foundation’s vaccine distribution floundered; some areas ran short of doses while others wound up with great excesses. — Emily Strasser, Curbed, "A secret city opens up," 8 Aug. 2018 Its performance improved only after the manager, Dima, turned the sound system off—suggesting that Pilot would flounder in thumping Moscow nightclubs. — Dylan Love, WSJ, "Can Smart Earbuds Instantly Translate Foreign Speech?," 29 June 2018 This will be the first postseason for Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton and Brewers star Christian Yelich after years with the floundering Marlins. — Jake Seiner, The Seattle Times, "Before things get wild, the MLB postseason from A to Z," 1 Oct. 2018 Efforts to craft an immigration compromise have floundered, and Republicans have not moved a bill to protect Robert Mueller’s investigation. — Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, "The GOP Is Trump’s Personality Cult. Could Democrats Do the Same?," 27 June 2018 All while traditional vitamin giants are floundering. — Jancee Dunn, Allure, "Pretty Pills: How Beauty Supplements Changed the Way We View Wellness," 2 Oct. 2018 Gallows humor, sure—but this isn’t the first time Trump has floundered in the unspoken role of comforter in chief, relying on sarcasm instead of conveying sympathy. — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, "In Post-Florence North Carolina, Donald Trump Continues to Fail in His Role as Comforter in Chief," 20 Sep. 2018 Now, his company — Barnes & Noble — is floundering, the publishing industry that depends on it is worried, and Riggio has nobody to turn to but himself. — Tiffany Hsu, The Seattle Times, "Barnes & Noble struggles to survive; founder is confident of turnaround," 28 Aug. 2018 Due to cheap natural gas, flat electricity demand, and rising renewables, nuclear plants are floundering economically. — David Roberts, Vox, "Half of America’s carbon-free electricity comes from nuclear. Here’s how to save it.," 10 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flounder.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.