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
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Recent Examples of floundered
The iconic theater building has floundered primarily because its most celebrated feature demands a highly specialized owner, Gonor said.
—
Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
The rest of the judges floundered with Rita Ora guessing Selma Blair, Ken Jeong putting his money on Christina Applegate and Robin Thicke going with Danielle Fishel.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
Disney named Susan Arnold as chairman in 2021, but wound up bringing back Iger in November 2022 for his second stint as CEO after the company floundered.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 3 Feb. 2026
The Bucks have floundered when Antetokounmpo has been out of the lineup this season.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
The Twins then suffered a late-season collapse in 2024 and floundered in 2025, leading to a massive trade deadline sell-off.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
Sunday night music competition The Road floundered in the fall, and true-crime series Harlan Coben’s Final Twist was shifted to a new night following weak ratings, making a second season unlikely.
—Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Europe’s giants have floundered lately — France is also in the economic doldrums — while its traditionally weaker periphery countries, such as Greece, Portugal, and Spain, are faring better.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
The case against Comey has floundered, with the statute of limitations for the original charges having lapsed.
—Jack Date, ABC News, 12 Jan. 2026
Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
The rest of the judges floundered with Rita Ora guessing Selma Blair, Ken Jeong putting his money on Christina Applegate and Robin Thicke going with Danielle Fishel.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
Disney named Susan Arnold as chairman in 2021, but wound up bringing back Iger in November 2022 for his second stint as CEO after the company floundered.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 3 Feb. 2026
The Bucks have floundered when Antetokounmpo has been out of the lineup this season.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
The Twins then suffered a late-season collapse in 2024 and floundered in 2025, leading to a massive trade deadline sell-off.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
Sunday night music competition The Road floundered in the fall, and true-crime series Harlan Coben’s Final Twist was shifted to a new night following weak ratings, making a second season unlikely.
—Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Europe’s giants have floundered lately — France is also in the economic doldrums — while its traditionally weaker periphery countries, such as Greece, Portugal, and Spain, are faring better.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
The case against Comey has floundered, with the statute of limitations for the original charges having lapsed.
—Jack Date, ABC News, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for floundered
Verb
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Shares stumbled last week on news about job openings in December hitting their lowest level in five years as investors tried to assess the health of the economy and figure out whether to cash in on pricey stocks.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Both the Bobcats and Blue Devils have stumbled, and Yale is in a dogfight in the Ivy League.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That means there aren’t going to be just a few chairs shuffled around; my suspicion is much of the roster likely will be overhauled in the next few years.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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On Thursday afternoon, about 300 people in a mix of puffer coats and fleeces shuffled in place on a line that snaked south along Seventh Avenue to West 10th Street, wrapped around Julius’ and circled back — an Ouroborous.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The results showed that while standard chemical leaching struggled without gravity to move fluids, the microbes didn’t blink.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
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The passenger was able to exit the truck while the suspect, still armed with the knife, struggled with the driver.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The first trailer for this macho survival flick just stomped onto the internet last week with a gung-ho spirit and guns blazing.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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The Seattle Seahawks stomped a mud hole in the New England Patriots.—
Prince J. Grimes,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Floundered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floundered. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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