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
Another game, another plane flying above Hard Rock Stadium to express Miami Dolphins fans’ displeasure with the floundering franchise.
—
David Wilson, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
Alexis Ohanian realized early on that traditional approaches to generating buzz were floundering in the digital age.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
After that, the team will have its bye week before hosting the floundering Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
And there were many others in the floundering nation-states of Asia and Africa who succumbed to the American ideology of individual aggrandizement and self-cherishing.
—Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flounder
David Wilson, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
Alexis Ohanian realized early on that traditional approaches to generating buzz were floundering in the digital age.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
After that, the team will have its bye week before hosting the floundering Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
And there were many others in the floundering nation-states of Asia and Africa who succumbed to the American ideology of individual aggrandizement and self-cherishing.
—Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flounder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flounder
Verb
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Things do get more interesting when Mia stumbles upon an improbable house in the middle of the woods, occupied by a witchy old lady (Robin Bartlett).—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
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With upsets keeping divisional races entertaining, Week 6 offers a chance for several surprise teams to solidify their place among the contenders, and for stumbling powerhouses to stop their slides before things get out of hand.—
J.J. Bailey,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The doctor grunted, shuffled off.—
Sam Lipsyte,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
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Mazzulla could shuffle his starting five from game to game, too, based on matchups and other factors.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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According to Edwards, Brooke deliberately portrayed Arabella as struggling to adapt to her new home and her Canadian identity.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
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As the team struggles with grief, Sharon decides to pull Station 42 off active duty entirely, rather than assign a new captain.—
Alamin Yohannes,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When Empower Field hosted the CONCACAF Nations League final between the United States and Mexico in 2021, the building stomped and shook like a Saturday at College Station, Texas, or Madison, Wis.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
15 Oct. 2025
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Shortly after, another group of gunmen, without any face coverings, arrived at the site, stomped their feet, and stood in a grid formation.—
Yamiche Alcindor,
NBC news,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This option by Neogen utilizes a three layer design, part of which is from 100% cotton mesh, that manually sloughs away dead skin cells.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
8 Oct. 2025
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About 300 to 400 linear feet (91 to 122 meters) of a coastal slope sloughed off, falling about 50 to 60 feet (15 to 18 meters) toward the ocean, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flounder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flounder. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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