flounder
verb
[ ˈflaʊndə ]
• struggle or stagger clumsily in mud or water.
• "he was floundering about in the shallow offshore waters"
Similar:
struggle,
thrash,
thresh,
flail,
toss and turn,
twist and turn,
pitch,
splash,
stagger,
stumble,
falter,
lurch,
blunder,
fumble,
grope,
squirm,
writhe,
Opposite:
make good progress,
Origin:
late 16th century: perhaps a blend of founder3 and blunder, or perhaps symbolic, fl- frequently beginning words connected with swift or sudden movement.
flounder
noun
• a small flatfish that typically occurs in shallow coastal water.
Origin:
Middle English: from Old French flondre, probably of Scandinavian origin and related to Danish flynder .
