flounder
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
flounders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
floundered,
past participle, past
-
floundering
present participle
-
to struggle with stumbling or plunging movements (usually followed by about, along, on, through, etc.).
He saw the child floundering about in the water.
-
to struggle clumsily or helplessly.
He floundered helplessly on the first day of his new job.
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to be in imminent danger of failure.
The negotiations floundered primarily on the question of extending regional autonomy.
noun
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flounder,
plural
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flounders
plural
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a European, marine flatfish, Platichthys flesus, used for food.
-
any of numerous similar or closely related non-European flatfishes.
-
any flatfish other than soles.
verb
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to struggle; to move with difficulty, as in mud
-
to behave awkwardly; make mistakes
noun
noun
-
Also called: fluke. a European flatfish, Platichthys flesus having a greyish-brown body covered with prickly scales: family Pleuronectidae : an important food fish
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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
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
floundersimple
-
flounderssimple
-
have flounderedperfect
-
has flounderedperfect
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am flounderingprogressive
-
are flounderingprogressive
-
is flounderingprogressive
-
have been flounderingperfect progressive
-
has been flounderingperfect progressive
Past
-
flounderedsimple
-
had flounderedperfect
-
was flounderingprogressive
-
were flounderingprogressive
-
had been flounderingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
A flounder is a flat fish with both eyes on one side of its head; and, as a verb, to flounder is to wobble around like a fish out of water. To flounder is to be unsteady or uncertain. It's probably from the Dutch word flodderen, "to flop about," or it's a mix of founder ("to fail") and blunder ("do something clumsy"). If you flounder in the ocean, you need a surfer dude to scoop you up. You don't have to be in water, though; you can flounder any time you're a little wobbly — like after a long hike or during the last hour of the SATs. Either way, when you flounder, you wish you were a flat fish at the bottom of the sea.
Vocabulary lists containing flounder
List 2
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"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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A Vocabulary Bestiary: Animals That Behave as Verbs
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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:
I tipped Spain to beat France but still did not expect such a flat performance and their star-studded frontline to flounder as badly as they did.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
“The Little Sister” grows even more intriguing once the love affair runs aground, forcing Fatima to flounder in her heartache.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
Or, with no party organisation behind him, he could flounder.
From Barron's ● Mar. 6, 2026
None seem to take note of this wealth of services as some of them flounder in their own bad habits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
The judging official didn’t come over for the flounder.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
As Target flounders, some competitors are growing fast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
Still, Muncy figures to be a linchpin in the Dodgers’ long-term potential at the plate — with his recovery growing ever-steadily in importance as the rest of the lineup flounders in his wake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2025
Oftentimes, there’s a chasmic dissonance between the urge to fulfill societal expectations of the quintessential athlete and what can actually be accomplished while one’s health flounders.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2024
Evergrande's offshore bondholders are expected to sharpen their focus on offshore assets as the developer's debt restructuring plan flounders with the founder now being investigated over suspected "illegal crimes".
From Reuters ● Sep. 29, 2023
Rawan flounders ashore, leaning on a man’s arm.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
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
While Ferrari, the pre-race favourites, floundered and made, in the words of their team boss Frederic Vasseur "too many mistakes", Norris and McLaren were almost perfect.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 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
Major Major floundered bewilderedly from one embarrassing catastrophe to another.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
It doesn’t help that you two were hired together and you’ve clearly thrived while she seems to be floundering.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
He was the emotionally tortured and volatile chef who left behind a rising career in Michelin-starred restaurants to return to Chicago, his hometown, to run his recently deceased brother’s floundering sandwich joint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
After more than a decade of failed attempts to raise money, blown deadlines and rebrands, it had been floundering.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
John Tortorella took over a floundering team with eight games left in the season and turned the Golden Knights into title contenders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Meir Katz, a colossus, wore a child’s pants, and Stern, a skinny little fellow, was floundering in a huge jacket.
From "Night" by Elie Wiesel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
