1
as in stumbled
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
unprepared choristers who floundered helplessly through the musical number
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shuffled
to move heavily or clumsily
the car floundered through the heavy wet snow, constantly getting stuck
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of floundered
While the Jets offense floundered as a whole, there were some positives to take away from Engstrand’s first season as offensive coordinator.
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Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2026
The Rangers penalty kill has floundered of late.
—Peter Baugh, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
In 2025, shares have floundered on investor concerns about how generative AI might disrupt the per-seat revenue models of software as a service (SaaS) companies like Salesforce.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2025
Florida football had just been outclassed by a program — Miami — that hired a coach in the same 2022 cycle UF did, and similarly struggled to jump-start its rebuild, having likewise floundered in recent years, despite its historic pedigree.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
So why might Longbow succeed while others have floundered?
—James Morris, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The booster catches have been one of the bright spots for the Starship program as progress on the rocket's upper stage floundered.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2025
Sitting 5 1/2 games out of the final Wild Card spot with a 64-66 record, the Rangers have floundered at a critical time, losing their past four series while on a 3-11 skid coming into Friday’s game.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Aug. 2025
Efforts to end property levies with ballot measures have floundered for the same reason, and some politicians who pitch abolition face related accusations that eliminating property taxes will inevitably lead to higher sales taxes.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floundered
Verb
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Naumov and Torgashev moved onto the podium after several other contenders stumbled Saturday.—
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On New Year’s Eve, 1962, Weir stumbled upon Dana Morgan’s Music Store in Palo Alto, where Jerry Garcia taught guitar.—
Verb
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Empty boxes were stacked along a side wall in the locker room as players shuffled in and out to pack up a season’s worth of shirts and jerseys and cleats and memorabilia.—
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First, the sophomore shuffled back into coverage after showing A-gap pressure to intercept a Bryce Underwood pass over the middle of the field, ending a key fourth-quarter drive.—
Verb
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When one of Adam Burkhammer's foster children struggled with hyperactivity, the West Virginia legislator and his wife decided to alter their diet and remove any foods that contained synthetic dyes.—
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Gilgeous-Alexander -- one of only two players in the NBA averaging 30-plus points (with the Lakers’ Luka Doncic) -- struggled against the Heat’s swarming defense early, shooting 1 for 7 in a three-point first quarter and going to the half with 11.—
Verb
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Jenkins brutally stomped and punched Coto, who was severely injured and put on life support.—
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The disarmingly handsome comic adopted the delivery of a smarmy newsman and deadpanned a joke about the hatching of a baby sandpiper, a triumph for the zoo where it was born, until the bird was stomped to death by a baby hippo born a day earlier.—
Cite this Entry
“Floundered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floundered. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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