1
as in to stumble
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 to shuffle
to move heavily or clumsily
the car floundered through the heavy wet snow, constantly getting stuck
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flounder
Ray has a sympathy for these floundering men, not as victims but as people relying on the wrong structures for support.
—
James Folta, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
As staffers await new leadership, projects have floundered, many in a holding pattern awaiting funding.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
The Panthers have largely floundered since moving from the Big East to the ACC in 2013.
—CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Trump reportedly sent her to help Ron DeSantis' floundering gubernatorial campaign.
—Doris Alvarez Cea, Florida Times-Union, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flounder
James Folta, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
As staffers await new leadership, projects have floundered, many in a holding pattern awaiting funding.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
The Panthers have largely floundered since moving from the Big East to the ACC in 2013.
—CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Trump reportedly sent her to help Ron DeSantis' floundering gubernatorial campaign.
—Doris Alvarez Cea, Florida Times-Union, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flounder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flounder
Verb
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During a routine survey in preparation for a housing development in Winsch, local authorities stumbled upon the former Roman camp in August 2025.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Clemson also stumbled to a 7-6 mark, a year after registering a 10-4 record in 2024.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Redick has had to shuffle the roster pieces around since, using the final five games of the regular season to assess his rotation options without Doncic and Reaves, who also missed 19 straight games from Christmas until February with a strained calf.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
30 Apr. 2026
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Parkinson’s stem cell trial is underway at UM At the University of Miami, neurologists are testing AI’s capabilities to shuffle through patient data to spot patterns that can help predict which patients may experience rapid decline.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The contestants struggled mighty hard with the songs.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2026
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Pornographic deepfake images of her have circulated online, making the singer the most famous victim of a scourge that tech platforms and antiabuse groups have struggled to fix.—
Maria Sherman,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Dedicating that much shelf space to the New York Yankees, as your organization gets stomped into the ground by them, at home?—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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New surveillance video from inside a Brooklyn liquor store shows another angle of the rough mistaken identity arrest that ignited a firestorm of criticism, offering a different angle as one of the detectives appears to stomp the prone suspect.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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My book tries to slough the stigma from the words, to say it all aloud without shame.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
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The bright wallpaper that Nataliia and Valerii had hung was sloughing off in layers, green giving way to roses.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flounder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flounder. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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