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

Doncic looks like an MVP in purple and gold, while the Mavericks flounder in the cellar of the Western Conference.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

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

A nervy start saw Gauff and Keys trade early breaks but Keys settled quickly as her rival continued to flounder, opening up a 4-1 lead.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2025

To flounder is to stumble awkwardly or thrash about like a fish out of water.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Vocabulary lists containing flounder

List 2

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"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell

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