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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flounder
Márquez has been a trade topic for several seasons due to the Rockies' floundering during his tenure.
—
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
While Willard recently decried Maryland’s lack of resources, Vanderbilt often flounders behind its SEC peers in terms of spending and on-field results in football and men’s basketball.
—C.j. Doon, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
Though Democrats have floundered to find a national party leader to rally behind since Trump won the 2024 election, Republicans are similarly dealing with a murky 2028 picture.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 7 May 2025
The only person not pulling their weight in the ensemble is Porsha, who continues to flounder during what could’ve been an epic comeback.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flounder
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
While Willard recently decried Maryland’s lack of resources, Vanderbilt often flounders behind its SEC peers in terms of spending and on-field results in football and men’s basketball.
—C.j. Doon, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
Though Democrats have floundered to find a national party leader to rally behind since Trump won the 2024 election, Republicans are similarly dealing with a murky 2028 picture.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 7 May 2025
The only person not pulling their weight in the ensemble is Porsha, who continues to flounder during what could’ve been an epic comeback.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flounder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flounder
Verb
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Per a fan video, at one point during the show, after spinning his microphone and tossing it towards the audience, Joel appeared to stumble, falling backwards and landing on his side.—
Marina Watts,
People.com,
23 May 2025
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No one stumbled into creating a billion dollar company, gingerly broke a world record, or cautiously planned and lived their peak life.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Verb
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Bemused tourists attempt to shuffle through the acrid red and blue flare smoke.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
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All of those departures except for Stark came before the draft, meaning Paton was left to shuffle the chairs and adjust on the fly to ensure the Broncos were prepared.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Rob Crossan January 17, 2025 Marketed as a luxury tourist destination, the Maldives struggles with the legacy of an authoritarian government and the existential threat of climate change.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
23 May 2025
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That built him a three-shot lead entering Sunday's final round. Midway through his final 18, Scheffler was struggling.—
Kendall Capps,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 May 2025
Verb
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While wearing a mini tuxedo, Lorenzo slowly stomped down the aisle and paused at the puddle of petals.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
20 May 2025
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Boston Haitian community joyfully stomped, danced and marched their way down Blue Hill Ave.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
19 May 2025
Verb
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But that season had a couple of issues that this round of Poker Face smartly sloughs off: an overarching story line involving Charlie’s cards-playing past that sometimes felt like a drag on the series’ forward momentum, an overreliance on law enforcement as a storytelling tool.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
7 May 2025
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She’s sloughed off to the reservation by her bosses, to go take care of this missing persons report on the Navajo reservation.—
Lisa de los Reyes,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flounder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flounder. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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