Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

flounder

[floun-der] / ˈflaʊn dər /
VERB
struggle; be in the dark
Synonyms
STRONGEST
flop stumble wallow
STRONG
blunder bobble flummox fumble grope labor lurch muddle plunge pratfall snafu strive thrash toil toss travail tumble
WEAK
cast about come apart at the seams drop the ball fall down foul up go at backwards go to pieces make a mess of miss one's cue screw up slip up stub one's toe trip up work at
Antonyms
STRONG
idle laze
WEAK
do well succeed

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Or, with no party organisation behind him, he could flounder.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

None seem to take note of this wealth of services as some of them flounder in their own bad habits.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

I still rewatch Hasan doing what he does best, and I admire him—because in that chair I’d probably flounder and set our people back a decade.

From Slate • Jul. 29, 2025

Perhaps the best we can hope for in some of these agencies is that they'll flounder about for a while without any serious results.

From Salon • Nov. 20, 2024

A massive fish, a flounder as big as a tea-tray and as thick as your arm was brought to the table.

From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl