flounder
1
[ floun-der ]
/ ˈflaʊn dər /
verb (used without object)
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.
OTHER WORDS FROM flounder
floun·der·ing·ly, adverb un·floun·der·ing, adjectiveWords nearby flounder
flotsam and jetsam,
flotus,
flounce,
flouncing,
flouncy,
flounder,
flour,
flour beetle,
flour mill,
flour mite,
flour moth
Example sentences from the Web for floundering
British Dictionary definitions for floundering (1 of 2)
flounder
1
/ (ˈflaʊndə) /
verb (intr)
to struggle; to move with difficulty, as in mud
to behave awkwardly; make mistakes
noun
the act of floundering
Word Origin for flounder
C16: probably a blend of
founder ² +
blunder; perhaps influenced by
flounder ²
usage for flounder
Flounder is sometimes wrongly used where
founder is meant:
the project foundered (not
floundered)
because of a lack of funds
British Dictionary definitions for floundering (2 of 2)
flounder
2
/ (ˈflaʊndə) /
noun plural -der or -ders
Also called: fluke
a European flatfish, Platichthys flesus having a greyish-brown body covered with prickly scales: family Pleuronectidae : an important food fish
US and Canadian
any flatfish of the families Bothidae (turbot, etc) and Pleuronectidae (plaice, halibut, sand dab, etc)
Word Origin for flounder
C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse
flythra, Norwegian
flundra