floundered

verb

past tense of flounder
1
as in stumbled
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 shuffled
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

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 Plaintiffs are so far hard to find Trump’s other tools to impose his protectionist agenda already have floundered in court. — Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 Plaintiffs are so far hard to find Trump’s other tools to impose his protectionist agenda have already floundered in court. — Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 For nearly four years, Villa have represented reliability, emphasised by what has come of direct rivals who have floundered under the weight of change. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026 That company floundered in the pandemic, but Speier continued to make unrealistic promises to customers. — Julia Coin july 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026 But Klug wasn’t sure any individual Democrat could outrun the negative perception that pervades a state where the party has floundered of late. — Justin Papp, CNBC, 24 June 2026 That decline has done little to boost a Labour government that has floundered since winning election in July 2024. — ABC News, 11 June 2026 The three-time batting champion has thrived in areas where the Padres have floundered. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026 The Broncos faltered in the snow, the Nuggets floundered on the hardwood, and now the Avalanche fail on ice. — Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floundered
  1. stumbled
  2. shuffled
  3. struggled
  4. stomped
Verb
  • While Mayfield is 3-0 in Week 1 since coming to Tampa Bay in 2023, Burrow and the Bengals have often stumbled out of the gate.
    — Joe Reedy, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
  • On this day in 1940, four teenage boys stumbled upon one of the world’s most significant archaeological finds—through a fox’s den, 50 feet down to an underground passageway, and into a network of caves.
    — Michele Metych Britannica Editors Sep. 10, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of stumbled
Verb
  • In the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, many studios either shuffled their product directly to streaming or waited a mere 17 days for their films to become available to buy or rent at home.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • For nearly a year and a half, he was shuffled around detention centers in Texas, Arizona, Louisiana and Florida, until arriving in the Alexandria International Airport in mid-August.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of shuffled
Verb
  • The 23-year-old struggled in the defeat to Argentina before adding his seventh of the tournament against France in the third-place play-off.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • His 81-year-old partner has struggled without Vela Gonzalez, her primary caretaker.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of struggled
Verb
  • Even when stomped into the mud by a 17,500-pound apex predator, dinosaur footprints rarely last long enough to fossilize over millions of years.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026
  • As Flores was still celebrating, Bjornsson — the previous deadlift world-record holder (510kg) — stomped up to him and reached out to grasp his rival, but only to offer a congratulatory hug of genuine warmth and affection.
    — Rob Tanner, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of stomped

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Cite this Entry

“Floundered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floundered. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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