flounder
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flounder
to struggle clumsily: He floundered helplessly on the first day of his new job.; falter; waver; flop about; a marine flatfish
Not to be confused with:
founder – to fall or sink down; to become wrecked; to stumble; collapse; succumb: The project foundered because public support was lacking.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
floun·der 1
(floun′dər)intr.v. floun·dered, floun·der·ing, floun·ders
1. To move clumsily or with little progress, as through water or mud. See Synonyms at blunder.
2. To act or function in a confused or directionless manner; struggle: "Some ... floundered professionally, never quite deciding what they wanted to do" (Steve Olson). See Usage Note at founder1.
n.
The act of floundering.
[Probably alteration of founder.]
floun·der 2
(floun′dər)n. pl. flounder or floun·ders
Any of various marine flatfishes chiefly of the families Bothidae and Pleuronectidae, including several important food fishes.
[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman floundre, of Scandinavian origin; see plat- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
flounder
(ˈflaʊndə)vb (intr)
1. to struggle; to move with difficulty, as in mud
2. to behave awkwardly; make mistakes
n
the act of floundering
[C16: probably a blend of founder2 + blunder; perhaps influenced by flounder2]
Usage: Flounder is sometimes wrongly used where founder is meant: the project foundered (not floundered) because of a lack of funds
flounder
(ˈflaʊndə)n, pl -der or -ders
1. (Animals) Also called: fluke a European flatfish, Platichthys flesus having a greyish-brown body covered with prickly scales: family Pleuronectidae: an important food fish
2. (Animals) US and Canadian any flatfish of the families Bothidae (turbot, etc) and Pleuronectidae (plaice, halibut, sand dab, etc)
[C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse flythra, Norwegian flundra]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
floun•der1
(ˈflaʊn dər)v.i.
1. to struggle with stumbling or plunging movements: to flounder in the mud.
2. to struggle clumsily, helplessly, or falteringly: I floundered for an excuse.
floun′der•ing•ly, adv.
floun•der2
(ˈflaʊn dər)n., pl. (esp. collectively) -der, (esp. for kinds or species) -ders.
any of the flatfishes of the families Pleuronectidae and Bothidae, esp. those valued as food, as the North Atlantic Platichthys flesus (European flounder) and various plaices, soles, and turbots.
[1400–50; late Middle English < Anglo-French floundre < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian flundra]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
flounder
Past participle: floundered
Gerund: floundering
| Imperative |
|---|
| flounder |
| flounder |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  flounder - flesh of any of various American and European flatfishflatfish - sweet lean whitish flesh of any of numerous thin-bodied fish; usually served as thin fillets yellowtail flounder - flesh of American flounder having a yellowish tail plaice - flesh of large European flatfish turbot - flesh of a large European flatfish sand dab - the lean flesh of a small flounder from the Pacific coast of North America lemon sole, winter flounder - flesh of American flounder; important in the winter |
| 2. | flounder - any of various European and non-European marine flatfish flatfish - any of several families of fishes having flattened bodies that swim along the sea floor on one side of the body with both eyes on the upper side | |
| Verb | 1. | flounder - walk with great difficulty; "He staggered along in the heavy snow" walk - use one's feet to advance; advance by steps; "Walk, don't run!"; "We walked instead of driving"; "She walks with a slight limp"; "The patient cannot walk yet"; "Walk over to the cabinet" |
| 2. | flounder - behave awkwardly; have difficulties; "She is floundering in college" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
flounder
verb
1. falter, struggle, stall, slow down, run into trouble, come unstuck (informal), be in difficulties, hit a bad patch The economy was floundering.
2. dither, struggle, blunder, be confused, falter, be in the dark, be out of your depth The president is floundering, trying to jump-start his campaign.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
flounder
verb1. To proceed or perform in an unsteady, faltering manner:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَتَخَبَّط في، يَغوص في الوَحِل
plácat se
fægte med arme og bensprælle
kampela
bukdácsollepényhal
flyîra
도다리
kapanotiskapstytis
ķepuroties
flądra
flundra
çırpınmak
flounder
1 [ˈflaʊndəʳ] N (flounder or flounders (pl)) (= fish) → platija fflounder
2 [ˈflaʊndəʳ] VI1. (also flounder about) (in water, mud etc) (= flap arms) → debatirse; (= splash) → revolcarse
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
flounder
[ˈflaʊndər] n (= fish) → flet m
vi (= fail) → battre de l'aile
to be floundering [person] (= lack direction and decision) → tourner en rond
to be floundering [person] (= lack direction and decision) → tourner en rond
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
flounder
1n (= fish) → Flunder f
flounder
2vi
(lit) → sich abstrampeln, sich abzappeln; a stranded whale floundering on the beach → ein gestrandeter Wal, der sich am Strand abquält; we floundered about in the mud → wir quälten uns mühselig im Schlamm
(fig) → sich abzappeln (inf), → sich abstrampeln (inf); the company/economy was floundering → der Firma/Wirtschaft ging es schlecht; his career floundered → mit seiner Karriere ging es abwärts; to start to flounder → ins Schwimmen kommen; to flounder through something → sich durch etw wursteln or mogeln (inf); he floundered on → er wurstelte weiter
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
flounder
1 [ˈflaʊndəʳ] vi (also flounder about) (in water, mud) → dibattersi, annaspare; (in speech) → impappinarsi, esitareflounder
2 [flaʊndəʳ] n (fish) → passera di mareCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
flounder
(ˈflaundə) verb to move one's legs and arms violently and with difficulty (in water, mud etc). She floundered helplessly in the mud.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.