1
as in stumbled
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
unprepared choristers who floundered helplessly through the musical number
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shuffled
to move heavily or clumsily
the car floundered through the heavy wet snow, constantly getting stuck
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of floundered
While the Jets offense floundered as a whole, there were some positives to take away from Engstrand’s first season as offensive coordinator.
—
Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2026
The Rangers penalty kill has floundered of late.
—Peter Baugh, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
In 2025, shares have floundered on investor concerns about how generative AI might disrupt the per-seat revenue models of software as a service (SaaS) companies like Salesforce.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2025
Florida football had just been outclassed by a program — Miami — that hired a coach in the same 2022 cycle UF did, and similarly struggled to jump-start its rebuild, having likewise floundered in recent years, despite its historic pedigree.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
So why might Longbow succeed while others have floundered?
—James Morris, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The booster catches have been one of the bright spots for the Starship program as progress on the rocket's upper stage floundered.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2025
Sitting 5 1/2 games out of the final Wild Card spot with a 64-66 record, the Rangers have floundered at a critical time, losing their past four series while on a 3-11 skid coming into Friday’s game.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Aug. 2025
Efforts to end property levies with ballot measures have floundered for the same reason, and some politicians who pitch abolition face related accusations that eliminating property taxes will inevitably lead to higher sales taxes.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2026
The Rangers penalty kill has floundered of late.
—Peter Baugh, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
In 2025, shares have floundered on investor concerns about how generative AI might disrupt the per-seat revenue models of software as a service (SaaS) companies like Salesforce.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2025
Florida football had just been outclassed by a program — Miami — that hired a coach in the same 2022 cycle UF did, and similarly struggled to jump-start its rebuild, having likewise floundered in recent years, despite its historic pedigree.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
So why might Longbow succeed while others have floundered?
—James Morris, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The booster catches have been one of the bright spots for the Starship program as progress on the rocket's upper stage floundered.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2025
Sitting 5 1/2 games out of the final Wild Card spot with a 64-66 record, the Rangers have floundered at a critical time, losing their past four series while on a 3-11 skid coming into Friday’s game.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Aug. 2025
Efforts to end property levies with ballot measures have floundered for the same reason, and some politicians who pitch abolition face related accusations that eliminating property taxes will inevitably lead to higher sales taxes.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floundered
Verb
-
The Avs stumbled out of the starting blocks the past two seasons.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Three years ago, two Sudanese men stumbled into a police station in the desert town of Tazirbu.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Empty boxes were stacked along a side wall in the locker room as players shuffled in and out to pack up a season’s worth of shirts and jerseys and cleats and memorabilia.—
Nicki Jhabvala,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
First, the sophomore shuffled back into coverage after showing A-gap pressure to intercept a Bryce Underwood pass over the middle of the field, ending a key fourth-quarter drive.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Footage of the crash showed a towering wave of smoke and flames billowing skyward near the airport after the low-flying plane struggled to climb and then erupted into an enormous fireball on impact.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Memphis struggled out of the gate on Friday night against a motivated Tulane Green Wave team that suffered an upset loss to UTSA in Week 10.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
As the latter stomped down the catwalk, Anok gave Gabbriette a makeshift haircut.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
27 Oct. 2025
-
At Stella McCartney, a pair of slouchy patent leather square-toe boots stomped down the catwalk.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Footwear News,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Floundered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floundered. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share