as in failing
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1
as in struggling
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
unprepared choristers who floundered helplessly through the musical number
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
the car floundered through the heavy wet snow, constantly getting stuck
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of floundering
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
James Folta, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Trump reportedly sent her to help Ron DeSantis' floundering gubernatorial campaign.
—Doris Alvarez Cea, Florida Times-Union, 16 Mar. 2026
Nothing is certain, except the fact that the President is floundering, making conflicting statements from one day to the next about how long the war will last.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
At her home on Vancouver Island, the Canadian-American actor spends her days scanning the chop for whales, not floundering swimmers.
—Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2026
The overall focus was overwhelmingly on fixing China’s floundering economy, with action to tackle unemployment, a depressed real estate market, and boosting innovation.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
But internally, the team was floundering.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Still, the repurposing helps fill out the Gurnee mall while other shopping centers are floundering.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Hope kept the West Indies from floundering, opening the batting and hitting four sixes and six boundaries until he was bowled by Crishan Kalugamage in the 16th over.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Or maybe this team just looked itself in the mirror and made the corrections that could have saved a floundering season.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
Ray has a sympathy for these floundering men, not as victims but as people relying on the wrong structures for support.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Trump reportedly sent her to help Ron DeSantis' floundering gubernatorial campaign.
—Doris Alvarez Cea, Florida Times-Union, 16 Mar. 2026
Nothing is certain, except the fact that the President is floundering, making conflicting statements from one day to the next about how long the war will last.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
At her home on Vancouver Island, the Canadian-American actor spends her days scanning the chop for whales, not floundering swimmers.
—Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2026
The overall focus was overwhelmingly on fixing China’s floundering economy, with action to tackle unemployment, a depressed real estate market, and boosting innovation.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
But internally, the team was floundering.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Still, the repurposing helps fill out the Gurnee mall while other shopping centers are floundering.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Hope kept the West Indies from floundering, opening the batting and hitting four sixes and six boundaries until he was bowled by Crishan Kalugamage in the 16th over.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floundering
Adjective
-
The state graded the campus an F for three consecutive years, meaning two more failing grades could trigger an intervention.—
Noah Alcala Bach,
San Antonio Express-News,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In the poor quarters of New Delhi, households struggling to pay for gas fired up chulhas, old-school wood-burning stoves, and hoped their tinder supplies held.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Lillibridge says the prices are piling onto an already struggling industry.—
Lana Zak,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
These chips spend most of their energy shuffling data between a memory unit and a processor.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Mar. 2026
-
So what better way to cap all that off than closing out the Oscars — even if the clip played while the audience was shuffling out of the theater and calling their Ubers.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Garden centers aren't giving a refund for a dying or dead plant but rather a discount on a new purchase.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Occasionally, King’s assistants, a pair of bulky guys with law-enforcement backgrounds, offered the stumbling line a corrective shove.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The Ducks started their trip up five points on Connor McDavid and company, but held just a three-point edge after stumbling 4-2 on Saturday.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Soon afterward, a Diplodocus was stomping through downtown Chicago and eating the tops off trees in Grant Park, the story said.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Slightly out of breath from stomping up the stairs, past the guests — who, as Daisy will tell Jason later, noticed something was up — Ellie tells Jason that Ben’s time mismanagement is setting her up to fail.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The skyway corridors with highest density sit directly atop the most languishing streetscapes, Spencer said, and vice versa.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
While pruning, remove any winter damage, along with dead and declining growths, to allow new shoots to reform the plant.—
Tom MacCubbin,
orlandosentinel.com,
6 Mar. 2021
-
In order to reopen, counties must demonstrate declining prevalence of COVID-19, testing ability of 30 tests per 10,000 residents per week, contact tracing and isolation facilities.—
Fox News,
Fox News,
15 May 2020
Cite this Entry
“Floundering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floundering. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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