floundering 1 of 2

adjective

as in failing

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

floundering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of flounder
1
as in struggling
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually unprepared choristers who floundered helplessly through the musical number

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily the car floundered through the heavy wet snow, constantly getting stuck

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of floundering
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
None of it was ideal — not for the Phillies, floundering their way through April, or Bohm in his walk year. — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 But please, save us from the talking points around the 'Protect College Sports Act' that is currently floundering around the Senate. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 In 2024, early data on the vaccine served as a turning point for the floundering field. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026 The series tells the story of Jossi, a floundering actor who lies his way into a casting call reserved for Jewish performers. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026 In 2011, Daunt was tapped to lead the floundering British retailer Waterstones, which returned to profitability under his leadership. — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026 Ted Lasso, sports comedy-drama television series starring Jason Sudeikis as an American football coach who is appointed manager of AFC Richmond, a floundering English soccer club. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Aug. 2026 Marvel similarly spent a decade effectively building its stories and characters toward Infinity War and Endgame has since been criticized for floundering a bit — awkwardly trying and discarding various characters and stories. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 3 Aug. 2026 His clients would open up about their dating lives, which were often floundering. — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floundering
  1. failing
  2. struggling
  3. shuffling
  4. dying
  5. stumbling
  6. stomping
  7. languishing
  8. declining
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
Definition of failing
Verb
  • The papers served to underline how central banks are struggling to keep up with challenges introduced by technology.
    — Maria Eloisa Capurro, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The longer the current situation continues, the greater the strain on an economy already struggling with shortages, inflation and restrictions on trade.
    — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • Summary The Chicago Cubs are currently shuffling their infield due to Dansby Swanson's oblique injury, moving Nico Hoerner to shortstop and Pedro Ramírez to second base.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Keeping your eye on Bredeson is as hard as tracking a ball beneath shuffling cups.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of shuffling
Adjective
  • What’s the vibe for you, post-dying?
    — Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 22 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of dying
Verb
  • The teddy bears, the stumbling answers, the whole morning in the Cotillion was a mess.
    — Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Calhoun, who moved to Kansas City from Ames, Iowa, in 2016, started photography during the pandemic after stumbling across a photography video on YouTube.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of stumbling
Verb
  • Their father, Jamie, always seemed to be around, smiling and shouting and stomping his feet.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Hello Kitty is stomping back to McDonald's in full kaiju form.
    — Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of stomping
Adjective
  • What this effort points to is the need for a federal right of publicity statute, like the languishing NO FAKES bill.
    — Schuyler Moore, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of languishing
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
Definition of declining

Browse Nearby Words

floundered
floundering
flounders
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Floundering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floundering. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All