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

Harry had designs on Netflix nature documentaries, but non-royal-related shows and movies floundered, and their Archewell production office experienced a significant turnover in staff.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Attempts to mend US-South Africa relations have floundered.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

Complacency was the exact thing that general manager Kelly McCrimmon was looking to eliminate when he fired coach Bruce Cassidy 74 games into the regular season as the Golden Knights floundered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026

The special floundered, not knowing what to do; a variety of mute expressions crossed his face and then, turning, he shuffled out of the apartment, leaving Rick alone.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick