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
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
Since then, Kraft Heinz has floundered, with the stock 27% off its recent high.
—Sean Conlon,liz Napolitano, CNBC, 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
Disney named Susan Arnold as chairman in 2021, but wound up bringing back Iger in November 2022 for his second stint as CEO after the company floundered.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 3 Feb. 2026
The Bucks have floundered when Antetokounmpo has been out of the lineup this season.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
The Twins then suffered a late-season collapse in 2024 and floundered in 2025, leading to a massive trade deadline sell-off.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
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
Since then, Kraft Heinz has floundered, with the stock 27% off its recent high.
—Sean Conlon,liz Napolitano, CNBC, 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
Disney named Susan Arnold as chairman in 2021, but wound up bringing back Iger in November 2022 for his second stint as CEO after the company floundered.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 3 Feb. 2026
The Bucks have floundered when Antetokounmpo has been out of the lineup this season.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
The Twins then suffered a late-season collapse in 2024 and floundered in 2025, leading to a massive trade deadline sell-off.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floundered
Verb
-
Illinois bolted an early 15-3 lead as USC stumbled out of the gate, turning the ball over four times in the first six minutes and missing seven of its first eight shots.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
But in a market with no room for error, the cybersecurity giant stumbled on guidance, and the stock sank.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That means there aren’t going to be just a few chairs shuffled around; my suspicion is much of the roster likely will be overhauled in the next few years.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
-
On Thursday afternoon, about 300 people in a mix of puffer coats and fleeces shuffled in place on a line that snaked south along Seventh Avenue to West 10th Street, wrapped around Julius’ and circled back — an Ouroborous.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
With its dynamic freshman depleted from flu and another starter, Chad Baker-Mazara, still out due to injury, USC struggled to find a consistent source of offense.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Founder Sherille Riley, who previously worked as a facialist for high-end brands like La Prairie and Crème de la Mer, had until recently struggled to shop for K-beauty in person and initially bought the products online – only to run the risk of long shipping times or unknowingly buying a fake.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Ciara is thawing towards West, and getting goats for the party helped, even though one stomped all over Levi’s face.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The first trailer for this macho survival flick just stomped onto the internet last week with a gung-ho spirit and guns blazing.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Floundered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floundered. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
