<p><strong>Verb</strong></p><ul><li>(used without object)<ul><li>To struggle with stumbling or plunging movements (usually followed by about, along, on, through, etc.): He saw the child floundering about in the water.</li><li>To struggle clumsily or helplessly: He floundered helplessly on the first day of his new job.</li><li>Synonyms: muddle, waver, falter.</li><li>To be in imminent danger of failure: The negotiations floundered primarily on the question of extending regional autonomy.</li></ul></li></ul>