flounder

¹

[floun-der]

verb (used without object)

1. to struggle with stumbling or plunging movements (usually followed by about, along, on, through, etc.).

   He saw the child floundering about in the water.

2. to struggle clumsily or helplessly.

   He floundered helplessly on the first day of his new job.

   Synonyms: muddle, waver, falter

3. to be in imminent danger of failure.

   The negotiations floundered primarily on the question of extending regional autonomy.

flounder

²

[floun-der]

noun

plural

flounder ,

plural

flounders .

1. a European, marine flatfish, Platichthys flesus, used for food.

2. any of numerous similar or closely related non-European flatfishes.

3. any flatfish other than soles.

flounder

¹

/ ˈflaʊndə /

verb

1. to struggle; to move with difficulty, as in mud

2. to behave awkwardly; make mistakes

noun

1. the act of floundering

flounder

²

/ ˈflaʊndə /

noun

1. Also called: fluke. a European flatfish, Platichthys flesus having a greyish-brown body covered with prickly scales: family Pleuronectidae : an important food fish

2. any flatfish of the families Bothidae (turbot, etc) and Pleuronectidae (plaice, halibut, sand dab, etc)

Usage

Flounder is sometimes wrongly used where founder is meant: the project foundered (not floundered ) because of a lack of funds

Word History and Origins

Origin of flounder¹

First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps blend of flounce ¹ and founder ²

Origin of flounder²

1400–50; late Middle English < Anglo-French floundre < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian flundra

Word History and Origins

Origin of flounder¹

C16: probably a blend of _founder ² + _blunder ; perhaps influenced by _flounder ²

Origin of flounder²

C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse flythra , Norwegian flundra

Example Sentences

While women’s relative economic position has improved, many men are floundering.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Yet Harjo wrote Lee as a tragicomic figure perpetually floundering his way through his investigations and his life, taking his share of black eyes and deadly near-misses in the bargain.

Read more on Salon

This is not the first time West Ham have floundered under Skinner's management since she took charge two seasons ago.

Read more on BBC

California’s challenge to those justifications has so far floundered in court, with the 9th Circuit finding in June that judges must be “highly deferential” to the president’s interpretation of facts on the ground.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She called the new developments “displacement housing” that doesn’t address the needs of those in remote areas who continue to “flounder in disaster-caused homelessness.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• flop 
• stumble 
• wallow