floundered

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.

See Examples For:

floundered

While Russell has floundered a little, less comfortable with the car, and is still afflicted by bad luck, pace seems to flow from Antonelli so easily.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

But he floundered at sea and was picked up by Chinese fishermen, who handed him to the police.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

The Bucks floundered without him and the coach paid the price.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

His meager hair was plastered to his forehead and the back of his neck, with small pieces flopping this way and that as he floundered in the shallows.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack