1
as in struggling
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 shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
the car floundered through the heavy wet snow, constantly getting stuck
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in failing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 floundering
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
His father exists in the world, floundering about and getting high, but the larger and more potent existence that this man has, in your case, is in your stepson’s psyche.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025
Justin Herbert and company opened at 3-0, then took back-to-back Ls and narrowly escaped the floundering Miami Dolphins.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
While the Gators are floundering at 1-3, Texas is 3-1.
—Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa News, 1 Oct. 2025
Another game, another plane flying above Hard Rock Stadium to express Miami Dolphins fans’ displeasure with the floundering franchise.
—David Wilson, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
Alexis Ohanian realized early on that traditional approaches to generating buzz were floundering in the digital age.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
After that, the team will have its bye week before hosting the floundering Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
And there were many others in the floundering nation-states of Asia and Africa who succumbed to the American ideology of individual aggrandizement and self-cherishing.
—Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Moving forward, games that are either cheap to make or deemed more likely to generate significant revenue windfalls may take priority over riskier bets, said the people, while Xbox’s floundering hardware division may face a significant rethinking.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
His father exists in the world, floundering about and getting high, but the larger and more potent existence that this man has, in your case, is in your stepson’s psyche.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025
Justin Herbert and company opened at 3-0, then took back-to-back Ls and narrowly escaped the floundering Miami Dolphins.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
While the Gators are floundering at 1-3, Texas is 3-1.
—Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa News, 1 Oct. 2025
Another game, another plane flying above Hard Rock Stadium to express Miami Dolphins fans’ displeasure with the floundering franchise.
—David Wilson, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
Alexis Ohanian realized early on that traditional approaches to generating buzz were floundering in the digital age.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
After that, the team will have its bye week before hosting the floundering Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
And there were many others in the floundering nation-states of Asia and Africa who succumbed to the American ideology of individual aggrandizement and self-cherishing.
—Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floundering
Verb
-
Connery was no stranger to struggling to find work.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
-
That’s a strong selling point at a time when many organizations are struggling to find qualified candidates to fill security roles.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The technology included corrupt automatic shuffling machines that read cards and predicted which player had the best hand.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Card-reading contact lenses, X-ray poker tables, trays of poker chips that read cards, hacked shuffling machines that predict hands.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After stumbling into a massive camp full of refugees from Nilfgaard’s ongoing campaign, Geralt winds up witness to a witch trial.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
-
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CWD can take months to years for symptoms to appear, which could include drastic weight loss, stumbling or lack of coordination, drooling and listlessness.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The sound of her stomping up the staircase causes her parents to share a look of weary consternation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
-
But only the faithful know everything about the Mushroom Kingdom’s shell-stomping messiah.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
While pruning, remove any winter damage, along with dead and declining growths, to allow new shoots to reform the plant.—
Tom MacCubbin,
orlandosentinel.com,
6 Mar. 2021
-
In order to reopen, counties must demonstrate declining prevalence of COVID-19, testing ability of 30 tests per 10,000 residents per week, contact tracing and isolation facilities.—
Fox News,
Fox News,
15 May 2020
Cite this Entry
“Floundering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floundering. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share