I. floun ‧ der 1 /ˈflaʊndə $ -ər/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: Probably from ⇨ ↑ founder 2 ]
1 . to not know what to say or do because you feel confused or upset:
I found myself floundering as I tried to answer her questions.
‘I’m sorry,’ she floundered helplessly.
2 . to have a lot of problems and be likely to fail completely:
More and more firms are floundering because of the recession.
3 . [always + adverb/preposition] to be unable to move easily because you are in deep water or mud, or cannot see very well:
They were floundering chest-deep in the freezing water.
flounder around
I could hear them floundering around in the dark.
II. flounder 2 BrE AmE noun ( plural flounder or flounders ) [uncountable and countable]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Anglo-French ; Origin: floundre , from a Scandinavian language ]
a type of small fish that you can eat