| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | struggle; be in the dark |
| Synonyms: | blunder, bobble, cast about, come apart at the seams, drop the ball, fall down, flop, flummox, foul up, fumble, go at backwards, go to pieces, grope, labor, lurch, make a mess of, miss one's cue, muddle, plunge, pratfall, screw up, slip up, snafu, strive, stub one's toe, stumble, thrash, toil, toss, travail, trip up, tumble, wallow, work at |
| Notes: | founder means to sink, while flounder means to flail helplessly |
| Antonyms: | do well, succeed |
| Main Entry: | blunder |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make mistake |
| Synonyms: | ball up, blow, bobble, botch, bumble, bungle, confuse, drop the ball, err, flounder, flub, foul up, fumble, gum up, louse up, mess up, misjudge, screw up, slip up, stumble |
| Antonyms: | correct, fix, restore |
| Main Entry: | botch |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | blunder |
| Synonyms: | blow*, bobble, boggle, bollix, boot, bumble, bungle, butcher, distort, err, fall down, flounder, flub, fumble, goof up, gum up, louse up, mar, mend, mess, mess up*, misapply, miscalculate, miscompute, misconjecture, misconstrue, mishandle, misjudge, mismanage, muck up, muddle, muff, mutilate, patch, pull a boner, ruin, screw up, spoil, stumble, wreck |
| Antonyms: | accomplish, achieve, do well, succeed |
| Main Entry: | fail |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | be unsuccessful |
| Synonyms: | abort, back wrong horse, backslide, be defeated, be demoted, be found lacking, be in vain, be ruined, blunder, break down, come to naught, come to nothing, decline, deteriorate, fall, fall flat, fall short, fall through, fizzle, flop, flounder, fold, founder, go astray, go down swinging, go down, go downhill, go up in smoke, go wrong, hit bottom, hit the skids, lose control, lose out, lose status, meet with disaster, miscarry, miss, miss the boat, play into, run aground, slip, turn out badly |
| Antonyms: | accomplish, achieve, earn, gain, merit, obtain, prosper, reach, succeed, win |
| Main Entry: | falter |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | stumble, stutter |
| Synonyms: | be undecided, bobble, break, drop the ball, flounder, fluctuate, fluff, halt, hem and haw, hesitate, lurch, quaver, reel, rock, roll, scruple, shake, speak haltingly, stagger, stammer, stub toe, teeter, topple, totter, tremble, trip up, vacillate, waver, whiffle, wobble |
| Antonyms: | continue, endure, maintain, persist, remain, stay |
| Main Entry: | flop |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | fall limply, collapse |
| Synonyms: | dangle, droop, drop, flag, flap, flounder, flutter, hang, jerk, lop, quiver, sag, slump, stagger, teeter, topple, toss, totter, tumble, wave, wiggle |
| Main Entry: | fumble |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bumble, mess up |
| Synonyms: | bollix, botch, bungle, err, feel, flounder, flub, fluff, goof, grapple, grope, lose the handle, louse up, misfield, mishandle, mismanage, scrabble, screw up, spoil, stumble |
| Antonyms: | do well |
| Main Entry: | grope |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | feel about for |
| Synonyms: | cast about, examine, explore, feel blindly, finger*, fish*, flounder, fumble, grabble, handle, manipulate, poke, pry, root, scrabble, search, touch |
| Main Entry: | hesitate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | wait; be uncertain |
| Synonyms: | alternate, balance, balk, be irresolute, be reluctant, be unwilling, blow hot and cold, dally, debate, defer, delay, demur, dillydally, dither, doubt, equivocate, falter, flounder, fluctuate, fumble, hang back, hang*, hedge, hem and haw, hold back, hold off, hover, linger, oscillate, pause, ponder, pull back, pussyfoot, scruple, seesaw, shift, shrink, shy away, sit on fence, stammer, stop, straddle, stumble, stutter, swerve, tergiversate, think about, think twice, vacillate, waffle, waver, weigh |
| Antonyms: | attack, carry on, continue, go, go ahead, persevere, resolve |