Flounder — (rarely: fluke) are flatfish that live in ocean waters ie., Northern Atlantic and waters along the east coast of the United States and Canada, and the Pacific Ocean, as well. The name flounder refers to several geographically and taxonomically… … Wikipedia
flounder — flounder1 [floun′dər] vi. [earlier flunder, ? blend of BLUNDER + FOUNDER1] 1. to struggle awkwardly to move, as in deep mud or snow; plunge about in a stumbling manner 2. to speak or act in an awkward, confused manner, with hesitation and… … English World dictionary
flounder — [v] struggle; be in the dark blunder, bobble, cast about, come apart at the seams*, drop the ball*, fall down, flop, flummox, foul up*, fumble, go at backwards*, go to pieces*, grope, labor, lurch, make a mess of, miss one’s cue*, muddle, plunge … New thesaurus
flounder — flounder1 flounderingly, adv. /flown deuhr/, v.i. 1. to struggle with stumbling or plunging movements (usually fol. by about, along, on, through, etc.): He saw the child floundering about in the water. 2. to struggle clumsily or helplessly: He… … Universalium
flounder — [[t]fla͟ʊndə(r)[/t]] flounders, floundering, floundered (The plural form for meaning 4 can be either flounder or flounders.) 1) VERB If something is floundering, it has many problems and may soon fail completely. What a pity that his career was… … English dictionary
flounder — I. noun (plural flounder or flounders) Etymology: Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian flundra flounder Date: 15th century flatfish; especially a marine fish of either of two families (Pleuronectidae and Bothidae) that… … New Collegiate Dictionary
flounder — {{11}}flounder (n.) flatfish, c.1300, from Anglo Fr. floundre, from O.N.Fr. flondre, from O.N. flydhra; related to M.L.G. vlundere, Dan. flynder; ultimately cognate with Gk. platys flat, wide, broad (see PLACE (Cf. place) (n.)). {{12}}flounder (v … Etymology dictionary
flounder — Synonyms and related words: agonize over, alternate, back and fill, be all thumbs, be at sea, be hard put, be uncertain, beat about, blunder, blunder away, blunder into, blunder on, blunder upon, boggle, botch, bumble, bungle, butcher, capsize,… … Moby Thesaurus
flounder — v 1. struggle, wallow, welter, flop; stagger, stumble, tumble, tumble about, toss about, plunge around, thrash. 2. blunder, bungle, muddle; fail, come to grief, meet with disaster, take a bad turn, collapse, Inf. come a cropper. 3. hesitate,… … A Note on the Style of the synonym finder
flounder — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) v. i. wallow, welter, struggle, stagger, fumble, grope. See failure, unskillfulness. II (Roget s IV) v. Syn. struggle, wallow, blunder, fumble; see hesitate , toss 2 . III (Roget s 3 Superthesaurus) v.… … English dictionary for students
flounder — I. v. n. Struggle (as an animal in the mire), toss, tumble, wallow, flounce, toss about. II. n. Flowk, fluke, turbot (Pleuronectes or Platessa flesus) … New dictionary of synonyms