1
as in to stumble
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
unprepared choristers who floundered helplessly through the musical number
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shuffle
to move heavily or clumsily
the car floundered through the heavy wet snow, constantly getting stuck
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flounder
The spring housing market is already floundering amid high home prices and weakening consumer confidence.
—
Diana Olick, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025
What was supposed to be one of the best defenses in baseball — at least by internal expectations — has floundered through 15 games.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2025
But with four of their starters on the bench, the Bulls mostly floundered through a loss that could have been penciled in the moment the lineups were set.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
Hagen, the feature film, floundered in theaters, pulling in fewer than 178,000 viewers in Germany, representing around a box office take of around $2 million, a disappointing showing for a film designed to be epic.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flounder
Diana Olick, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025
What was supposed to be one of the best defenses in baseball — at least by internal expectations — has floundered through 15 games.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2025
But with four of their starters on the bench, the Bulls mostly floundered through a loss that could have been penciled in the moment the lineups were set.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
Hagen, the feature film, floundered in theaters, pulling in fewer than 178,000 viewers in Germany, representing around a box office take of around $2 million, a disappointing showing for a film designed to be epic.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flounder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flounder
Verb
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How did the world’s two largest economies stumble toward a trade war that neither truly seeks and which the rest of the world can’t afford?—
Zongyuan Zoe Liu,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Apr. 2025
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Eleni wasn't the only one who stumbled across the sale.—
Michelle Lee,
People.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Then, around 200 million years ago, Pangaea began splitting apart, a geological breakup that formed the Atlantic Ocean, and eastern North America shuffled toward its current position on the globe.—
Alexandra Witze,
JSTOR Daily,
24 Apr. 2025
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The Phillies can shuffle their rotation with the benefit of two upcoming off days.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The on-again-off-again tariff announcements have rattled investors, wiping out trillions in value from stock markets and frustrating business leaders who are struggling to make business decisions without knowing how much goods will cost in the long run.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
29 Apr. 2025
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But 100 days into his second term in the White House, the president is struggling to deliver on those promises.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And in the end, the untouched bread is stomped into the ground.—
Stephanie Gravalese,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
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Balor stomped Mysterio, seemingly signaling a forthcoming break-up of the two longtime partners.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The ever-popular HydraFacial uses non-invasive LED light therapy to brighten your skin; while the Southern Ceremony Citrus scrub sloughs dead skin cells with its namesake ingredient.—
Kate Donnelly,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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These peels work by literally sloughing off the pigmented cells.—
Deanna Pai,
Glamour,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flounder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flounder. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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