flounder
part of speech
verb (flounder, flounders, floundered, floundering); noun (a flounder, flounders or flounder — a fish)
meaning for a pupil
1) A flounder is a flat sea fish that lies on the seabed, with both eyes on one side of its head. tree →
2) (verb) To flounder means to struggle to move, splashing and stumbling, as in deep mud, snow or water. tree →
3) (verb) To flounder can also mean to struggle and not know what to say or do, as in floundering in a test. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science lessons, the flounder is an example of camouflage: it changes colour to match the sand. In stories, floundering in water or mud shows a struggle; in school, «floundering» shows someone stuck and confused. Phrases: «flounder about», «flounder in», «begin to flounder».
examples
- The flounder lay hidden on the sandy seabed. tree →
- We floundered through the deep snow to the bus stop. tree →
- The horse floundered in the muddy field. tree →
- I floundered when the teacher asked me a question I hadn't heard. tree →
- A young flounder has eyes on both sides, but one eye moves as it grows. tree →
- The company floundered after it lost its biggest customer. tree →
- The flounder said to him, ‘Listen, fisherman. tree →
note
Fish plural: flounder or flounders. Verb is regular. Trap: «flounder» (struggle) and «founder» (sink or fail completely) are often confused; a floundering team is struggling, a foundering ship is sinking.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «flounder» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.