flounder
/ˈflaʊ̯ndɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.78 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A European species of flatfish having dull brown colouring with reddish-brown blotches; fluke, European flounder (Platichthys flesus).
noun
Any of various flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae or Bothidae.
Canadian usage; American usage
verb
To be in serious difficulty.
Example Sentences
- "Water Souchy. Eels, whitings, soles, flounders, and mackerel are generally used. Stew it in clear fish stock, until done, eight minutes will be enough; add cayenne, catsup, an anchovy, and any other flavouring ingredient; let it boil up, skim, and serve hot altogether in a tureen."
- "Blackfishing from the beach. I've done my research. Hundreds of shipwrecks line the Jersey coast, and many of them are close enough to reach with a long cast on a dead-low tide. These wrecks hold tautog, porgies, sea bass, flounder."
- "He gave a good speech, but floundered when audience members asked questions he could not answer well."
- "They have floundered on from blunder to blunder."
- "These epics nearly always had runaway trains, nincompoops floundering with the controls and a collapsed bridge just ahead!"
- "He is assessing directions, but he is not lost, not floundering."
Etymology
From Middle English flowndre, from Anglo-Norman floundre, from Old Northern French flondre, from Old Norse flyðra, from Proto-Germanic *flunþrijǭ. Cognate with Danish flynder, German Flunder, Swedish flundra.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: flowndre, floundre, flondre, flyðra, *flunþrijǭ, flodderen
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈflaʊ̯ndɚ/
- British English: /ˈflaʊ̯ndəː/
Usage
- Canadian usage
- American usage
- Intransitive verb
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
armless flounder
arrowtooth flounder
Baltic flounder
barfin flounder
blackback flounder
blackfin flounder
black flounder
California flounder