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.

Countries that industrialized, prospered; those that failed to industrialize, floundered.

From The Wall Street Journal

Having only one friend that you depend on for everything can leave a person floundering if something happens to that person.

From The Wall Street Journal

And in floundering the ending, “Undertone” reminds us that tranquility can be far more unsettling than a cacophony of sight and sound.

From Salon

When I went up to pull them over, floundering in the deep snow, they ignored me, tried to shrug away my hand.

From Literature

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

From Barron's

flounder

Example Sentences

Related Words