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
Opposite him, Yamamoto was no match, floundering in a five-run, 4⅔-inning start in the Dodgers’ 6-2 defeat —one that left the rivals tied atop the National League West with identical 41-29 records after their first meeting of the season.
—
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2025
The new queens aren’t entirely to blame, but this is a bracket already floundering for a narrative.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 13 June 2025
The Athletic reported that FIFA’s quest to fill stadiums is floundering and the organisation has dropped the price of tickets, having unveiled a new tier of lower pricing for games during the tournament.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 9 June 2025
Founders often flounder inside technical details and the backstory of how the idea came to life.
—Chris Westfall, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flounder
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2025
The new queens aren’t entirely to blame, but this is a bracket already floundering for a narrative.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 13 June 2025
The Athletic reported that FIFA’s quest to fill stadiums is floundering and the organisation has dropped the price of tickets, having unveiled a new tier of lower pricing for games during the tournament.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 9 June 2025
Founders often flounder inside technical details and the backstory of how the idea came to life.
—Chris Westfall, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flounder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flounder
Verb
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Hegseth, a former Fox TV host who has stumbled through several controversies during his six months in office, sat silently next to Trump without volunteering any information about the decision that apparently came on his watch.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
9 July 2025
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After a dramatic event, like an underwater landslide, covered her in sediment, her body remained hidden until 16 years ago, when scientists stumbled upon the nearly pristine fossil of the animal—a dolphin-like marine predator—and unearthed it for further research.—
Sara Hashemi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Prosecutors alleged Kelsey illegally shuffled money from his state senate campaigin committee to his federal campaign.—
Melissa Brown,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
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Each of these had a variable number of lithium atoms at each of the corners of these structures, and molecular simulations showed that lithium ions could readily move between these locations, allowing the material to shuffle ions around rapidly.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
26 June 2025
Verb
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Many prominent energy and hardware startups have faltered at this critical juncture, struggling to transition from promising prototypes to reliable performance in real-world settings at scale.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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Make Healthy Food More Accessible Millions of families struggle to afford healthy food.—
Mike Levin,
Oc Register,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Eighteen months ago, playing those songs inspired fans at the Ryman Auditorium to stomp their feet, throw Resistol hats in the air and soak church pews in alcohol for two hours.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
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Complaining on NextDoor about traffic, some locals fled downtown Austin like a movie monster was stomping behind them.—
Ramon Ramirez,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Both experts say that dry brushing, the physical exfoliant that sloughs away dead skin cells, can be beneficial to keeping strawberry legs at bay.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
1 July 2025
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Pure sugar crystals and AHAs sourced from plants work to slough off skin, while natural botanical oils soothe and hydrate.—
Celia Shatzman,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flounder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flounder. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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