as in failing
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1
as in struggling
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
unprepared choristers who floundered helplessly through the musical number
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shuffling
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
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Recent Examples of floundering
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026
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
Trump reportedly sent her to help Ron DeSantis' floundering gubernatorial campaign.
—Doris Alvarez Cea, Florida Times-Union, 16 Mar. 2026
At her home on Vancouver Island, the Canadian-American actor spends her days scanning the chop for whales, not floundering swimmers.
—Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2026
The overall focus was overwhelmingly on fixing China’s floundering economy, with action to tackle unemployment, a depressed real estate market, and boosting innovation.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
But internally, the team was floundering.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Still, the repurposing helps fill out the Gurnee mall while other shopping centers are floundering.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Hope kept the West Indies from floundering, opening the batting and hitting four sixes and six boundaries until he was bowled by Crishan Kalugamage in the 16th over.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Or maybe this team just looked itself in the mirror and made the corrections that could have saved a floundering season.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
The additional billions that Moscow has reaped because of the Iran war is easing some pressure off Russia’s floundering economy and the Kremlin’s ability to finance the conflict in Ukraine.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026
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
Trump reportedly sent her to help Ron DeSantis' floundering gubernatorial campaign.
—Doris Alvarez Cea, Florida Times-Union, 16 Mar. 2026
At her home on Vancouver Island, the Canadian-American actor spends her days scanning the chop for whales, not floundering swimmers.
—Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2026
The overall focus was overwhelmingly on fixing China’s floundering economy, with action to tackle unemployment, a depressed real estate market, and boosting innovation.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
But internally, the team was floundering.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Still, the repurposing helps fill out the Gurnee mall while other shopping centers are floundering.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Hope kept the West Indies from floundering, opening the batting and hitting four sixes and six boundaries until he was bowled by Crishan Kalugamage in the 16th over.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floundering
Adjective
-
The state graded the campus an F for three consecutive years, meaning two more failing grades could trigger an intervention.—
Noah Alcala Bach,
San Antonio Express-News,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As the city morphs into a luxury tourist destination, struggling small businesses are pushing to retain the character that drew many tourists in the first place.—
Laura Millan,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
-
If your friend is lonely or struggling to establish her identity without her sister living in the house, time with friends and time intentionally getting to know herself will be more productive.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There was major line shuffling overall by Cooper on this night, not just Kucherov, but tweaks to three lines, which ended up looking a little different than what was shown in pregame warmup.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
YoshimiO, sharing fellow ’90s icon Flea’s recent interest in the instrument, turns in a credible trumpet line during the track’s shuffling, exuberant second half.—
Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Garden centers aren't giving a refund for a dying or dead plant but rather a discount on a new purchase.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The title track, with its glassy melody and woozy, almost stumbling groove, deploys wholesome, end-of-the-night, comedown energy not unlike Bicep’s most beloved tracks.—
Reid BG,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Pack comfortable shoes and enjoy stumbling upon the secrets of the city.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That’s the sound of clogs slowly stomping back into the spotlight.—
Andrea Zendejas,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
-
For pretty much every gamer alive today, those first few notes induce an almost Pavlovian response — sparking an urge to grab a controller on your lap that isn’t actually there and bringing to mind comfortable, warm memories of stomping Goombas and riding Yoshi on a quest to save Princess Peach.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The skyway corridors with highest density sit directly atop the most languishing streetscapes, Spencer said, and vice versa.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
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 1 May. 2026.
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