floun·der

1 [floun-der]
verb (used without object)
1.
to struggle with stumbling or plunging movements (usually followed by about, along, on, through, etc.): He saw the child floundering about in the water.
2.
to struggle clumsily or helplessly: He floundered helplessly on the first day of his new job.

Origin:
1570–80; perhaps blend of flounce1 and founder2

floun·der·ing·ly, adverb
un·floun·der·ing, adjective


2. falter, waver, muddle.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
flounder1 (ˈflaʊndə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  to struggle; to move with difficulty, as in mud
2.  to behave awkwardly; make mistakes
 
n
3.  the act of floundering
 
usage  Flounder is sometimes wrongly used where founder is meant: the project foundered (not floundered) because of a lack of funds

00:10
Floundering is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
flounder2 (ˈflaʊndə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -der, -ders
1.  Also called: fluke a European flatfish, Platichthys flesus having a greyish-brown body covered with prickly scales: family Pleuronectidae: an important food fish
2.  (US), (Canadian) any flatfish of the families Bothidae (turbot, etc) and Pleuronectidae (plaice, halibut, sand dab, etc)
 
[C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse flythra, Norwegian flundra]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

flounder
1590s, perhaps an alteration of founder (q.v.), influenced by Du. flodderen "to flop about," or native verbs in fl- expressing clumsy motion. Related: Floundered; floundering.

flounder
"flatfish," c.1304, from Anglo-Fr. floundre, from O.N.Fr. flondre, from O.N. flydhra, related to M.L.G. vlundere, cognate with Gk. platys "flat, wide, broad" (see place (n.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The already floundering world economy doesn't need any further disruptions.
We actually spent quite a lot of time floundering around.
The economy was soaring, and the opposition floundering.
The ripple effects of the floundering stock market and the poor economy are
  finally hitting home in college fund raising, a new.
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