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
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Recent Examples of floundered
Coming from the Rockies, an organization that has floundered in recent years and is coming off a historically poor 43-119 season, Ward said joining the Red Sox and seeing what the organization is about has been a huge and welcome change.
—
Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026
Strange, whose strength is his athleticism, stabilized a right guard position that was searching for anyone who could make a contribution after Daniels only lasted three plays due to a pectoral injury and Smith floundered during his brief opportunity.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
In the latter years of the Roman Republic, landowners amassed unprecedented riches while plebeians floundered, spawning resentment that infected many corners of society.
—Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
That idea is central to why many real world sectors are outperforming this year, even as the overall market and especially tech stocks have floundered.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2026
To varying degrees, all three have floundered.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
But most of the new entrants, such as Intrade and Tradesports, have floundered after running afoul of federal regulators and federal laws prohibiting internet and sports gambling.
—Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Although the Timberwolves floundered in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Dosunmu provided a rare bright spot with 11 points and two steals off the bench.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
The rest of the judges floundered with Rita Ora guessing Selma Blair, Ken Jeong putting his money on Christina Applegate and Robin Thicke going with Danielle Fishel.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026
Strange, whose strength is his athleticism, stabilized a right guard position that was searching for anyone who could make a contribution after Daniels only lasted three plays due to a pectoral injury and Smith floundered during his brief opportunity.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
In the latter years of the Roman Republic, landowners amassed unprecedented riches while plebeians floundered, spawning resentment that infected many corners of society.
—Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
That idea is central to why many real world sectors are outperforming this year, even as the overall market and especially tech stocks have floundered.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2026
To varying degrees, all three have floundered.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
But most of the new entrants, such as Intrade and Tradesports, have floundered after running afoul of federal regulators and federal laws prohibiting internet and sports gambling.
—Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Although the Timberwolves floundered in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Dosunmu provided a rare bright spot with 11 points and two steals off the bench.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
The rest of the judges floundered with Rita Ora guessing Selma Blair, Ken Jeong putting his money on Christina Applegate and Robin Thicke going with Danielle Fishel.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floundered
Verb
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In Season 1, the publication of Lee’s latest exposé – a deep dive into the powerful Washberg family – is immediately followed by the suspicious suicide of Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson), and Lee knows he’s stumbled onto something big.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
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But the Illini stumbled by losing four of six after that before winning their final two against bottom-dwellers Oregon and Maryland.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As children from the synagogue were shuffled to safety, nearby West Bloomfield Schools were under a shelter-in-place order from police.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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Samson Fellows shuffled in his slippers to a small space heater and flicked it on.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Alcantara struggled in his World Baseball Classic debut three years ago for his native Dominican Republic, which didn’t advance out of pool play that year.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
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The 30-year-old offensive tackle — who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent ahead of the 2019 season — was brought to Charlotte in 2024 as a reserve option at tackle for the Panthers, who were interested in bolstering an offensive line that struggled mightily the year before.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Frustration boiled over on the Huskies’ sideline as Hurley stomped his foot and earned a technical foul from referee James Breeding with 12 and a half minutes left in the half.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
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In the span of six days, the Cornhuskers beat rival Creighton at home and stomped Wisconsin and then went to Illinois for their first Big Ten road game.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Floundered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floundered. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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