flounder

1 of 2

noun

floun·​der ˈflau̇n-dər 

plural flounder or flounders

: flatfish

especially : any of various marine fishes (families Pleuronectidae, Paralichthyidae, and Bothidae) that include important food fishes

flounder

2 of 2

verb

floundered; floundering ˈflau̇n-d(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to struggle to move or obtain footing : thrash about wildly

The poor horse was floundering in the mud.

2

: to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually

the normally surefooted governor floundered a moment like a prize pupil caught unprepared

—Time

Did you know?

There’s nothing fishy about flounder... the verb, that is. While the noun referring to a common food fish is of Scandinavian origin, the verb flounder, which dates to the late 16th century, is likely an alteration of an older verb, founder. The two verbs have been confused ever since. Today, founder is most often used as a synonym of fail, or, in contexts involving a waterborne vessel, as a word meaning “to fill with water and sink.” Formerly, it was also frequently applied when a horse stumbled badly and was unable to keep walking. It’s likely this sense of founder led to the original and now-obsolete meaning of flounder: “to stumble.” In modern use, flounder typically means “to struggle” or “to act clumsily”; the word lacks the finality of founder, which usually suggests complete collapse or failure, as that of a sinking ship.

Synonyms

Verb

• blunder
• bumble
• flog [British]
• limp
• lumber
• plod
• struggle
• stumble
• trudge

Examples of flounder in a Sentence

Verb

The horses were floundering through the deep snow.

He was floundering around in the pool like an amateur.

After watching me flounder for a few minutes, my instructor took over.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Real estate agents across the country report a chilled environment, with sellers unwilling to lower their prices and buyers reluctant to make a big purchase as the economy flounders and the costs for a mortgage, insurance and property taxes rise. —Ronda Kaysen, New York Times, 2 June 2025

Prime inshore catches include redfish, snook, tarpon, spotted sea trout, and flounder. —Jp Shaffer, Miami Herald, 20 May 2025

Verb

His insistence on the existence of another, better version of the country should be instructive to many floundering Democrats — especially considering the extent to which his words captured Donald Trump’s attention. —Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2025

Here is a look at where Sheets has been 45 games into each of his five MLB seasons, the first four of which were with the White Sox: The White Sox made the playoffs his rookie season but floundered after that and last season lost an MLB-record 121 games. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian flundra flounder

Verb

probably alteration of founder

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing flounder

• summer flounder
• winter flounder
• yellowtail flounder

Rhymes for flounder

• founder
• pounder
• rounder
• sounder
• cofounder
• compounder
• expounder
• profounder

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

flounder

1 of 2 noun

floun·​der ˈflau̇n-dər 

plural flounder or flounders

: flatfish

especially : any of various important marine food fishes

flounder

2 of 2 verb

floundered; floundering -d(ə-)riŋ 

: to struggle or go clumsily

floundering through the deep snow

Etymology

Noun

Middle English flounder "a flatfish"; of Scandinavian origin

Verb

probably an altered form of founder