flounder

/flounder/

Thân thiện

The fisherman caught a flounder in the shallow bay.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A type of flatfish: A marine flatfish found in both European and non-European waters, valued as food.
   • The flesh of this fish as food: The meat from various American and European flatfish.

2. Verb:

   • To struggle clumsily or helplessly; to have difficulties: To act or speak in an awkward, confused manner, especially when dealing with a difficult situation.
   • To move with great difficulty and an unsteady gait: To walk or move in a clumsy, staggering way, as if about to fall.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The chef prepared a delicious dish with fresh flounder.
  • We caught several flounder during our fishing trip.

• Verb:

  • When asked a complex question, the inexperienced speaker began to flounder for an answer.
  • The hiker floundered through the deep, wet snow, exhausted from the effort.

Advanced Usage

• "to flounder about/around": To move or act in a helpless, clumsy, or confused manner.
  • Without a clear plan, the team floundered about for the first few weeks of the project.
• "to flounder in [a situation/endeavor]": To struggle and be unsuccessful in a particular area.
  • Many students flounder in their first year of university without proper guidance.

Variants and Related Words

• Floundering (adj/gerund): The act of struggling clumsily or being in a state of difficulty.
  • The company's floundering attempts to enter the new market were evident.

Synonyms

• Verb (struggle): Struggle, falter, stumble, fumble, thrash.
• Verb (stagger): Stagger, lumber, stumble, reel, lurch.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Flounder through: To manage to do something with great difficulty and clumsiness.
  • He floundered through his presentation, forgetting half of his notes.

Related Idioms

• • To be out of one's depth: To be in a situation that is too difficult to handle, often leading to floundering.

    • As a new manager, he was completely out of his depth and floundered badly.

Học thuật

Noun

1. any of various European and non-European marine flatfish
2. flesh of any of various American and European flatfish

Verb

1. behave awkwardly; have difficulties
   • She is floundering in college
2. walk with great difficulty
   • He staggered along in the heavy snow

Từ đồng nghĩa

• stagger