floundering 1 of 2

adjective

as in failing

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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

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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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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
That one is flourishing and another is floundering represents the most frustrating part of this process. — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Yet some in the party say there is no upside for candidates in close races to leave the campaign for an event in another state with a president floundering in polls ‒ and there are questions about who will attend. — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 The Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF (MAGS) are up more than 4% this month, after floundering for much of this year. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 28 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
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
  • The bull riders—including the current champion, 20-year-old John Crimber—stand with their cowboy hat over their heart, boots shuffling nervously in the dirt.
    — Christine Lennon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
  • There must have been a hundred of us there, circling the truck, clambering onto its hood, shuffling and shimmying and twerking with abandon.
    — Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 30 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
  • Unlike other festivals, where audiences can be more forgiving, stumbling out of the gate at Venice can prove impossible for a contender to recover from.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Analysis from Zeki Data shows that where OpenAI and Anthropic are making gains in the AI talent market, Google DeepMind (and to some extent Meta) are stumbling.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 28 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

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Cite this Entry

“Floundering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/floundering. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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