flounder

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++floun·der1 /ˈflaʊndə $ -ər/ verb [intransitive]  1  DECIDEto not know what to say or do because you feel confused or upset 不知所措；支吾 I found myself floundering as I tried to answer her questions. 我想回答她的问题，却不知说什么好。 ‘I’m sorry, ’ she floundered helplessly. “对不起。”她无助地嗫嚅道。2  FAILto have a lot of problems and be likely to fail completely 困难重重，艰难挣扎 More and more firms are floundering because of the recession. 由于经济衰退，越来越多的公司举步维艰。3  [always + adverb/preposition]CLUMSY to be unable to move easily because you are in deep water or mud, or cannot see very well 〔因深陷在水中、泥里或因看不清而〕挣扎 They were floundering chest-deep in the freezing water. 他们在齐胸深的冰冷的水里挣扎。flounder around I could hear them floundering around in the dark. 我能听到他们在黑暗中挣扎。→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

flounder• One of the heaviest performers at the seaside track, Between Times was floundering after a slow start.• The sick horse, on the inside, floundered among the rocks and deep snow.• If the economy is floundering and confidence has faltered, a burst of spending might do the trick in turning around expectations.• Caroline realised that she was floundering in such a morass of conflicting emotions that she hardly knew what to resent most.• The team was floundering in the first half of the season.• The lifeguard saw some little kids floundering in the shallow water.• The Steady State Theory floundered on for a few more years, being continually revised, but eventually its three proponents conceded defeat.• They can also help a floundering organization extricate itself from the depths of a self-inflicted malaise.• Marriages and other relationships floundered under the pressure.• Brando's career was floundering when he was offered the role.floundered helplessly• When another student floundered helplessly before some elementary matter of grammar, Sabour handed over his notebook and explained the point.

Related topics: Fish, Food

flounder2 noun (plural flounder or flounders) [countable, uncountable]  HBFDFa type of small fish that you can eat 鲆，鲽

Examples from the Corpus

flounder• Dover's town beach for flounder.• The fisherman trudged to the sea once more, spoke, and the flounder granted the wish.• The flounder population is also on the increase.• The flounder surfaced and asked the fisherman what he wanted.• The flounder told him his wife had her wish, and when the fisherman got home, he saw it was true.• Southwold to Brightlingsea poor with flounder and dabs plus occasional sole and plaice from estuaries.Origin flounder1 (1500-1600) Probably from → FOUNDER2 flounder2 (1400-1500) Anglo-French floundre, from a Scandinavian language

floun·der1 verbflounder2 nounChineseSyllable  

what to to know not you Corpus do say or because

flounder

I

floun‧der¹ /ˈflaʊndə $ -ər/ verb [intransitive]1. to not know what to say or do because you feel confused or upset:
    I found myself floundering as I tried to answer her questions.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ she floundered helplessly.
2. to have a lot of problems and be likely to fail completely:
    More and more firms are floundering because of the recession.
3. [always + adverb/preposition] to be unable to move easily because you are in deep water or mud, or cannot see very well:
    They were floundering chest-deep in the freezing water.
    flounder around
    I could hear them floundering around in the dark.

II

flounder² noun (plural flounder or flounders) [uncountable and countable]a type of small fish that you can eat