flounder

views updated May 29 2018

floun·der1 / ˈfloundər/ • v. [intr.] struggle or stagger helplessly or clumsily in water or mud: he was floundering about in the shallow offshore waters. ∎ fig. struggle mentally; show or feel great confusion: she floundered, not knowing quite what to say. ∎ fig. be in serious difficulty: many firms are floundering.DERIVATIVES: floun·der·er n.floun·der2 • n. a small flatfish (families Pleuronectidae and Bothidae) that typically occurs in shallow coastal water. ∎  (flounders) a collective term for flatfishes other than soles. See flatfish.

flounder

views updated May 18 2018

flounder (Platichthys flesus) See PLEURONECTIDAE.

flounder

views updated May 29 2018

flounder1 flat-fish. XIV. — AN. floundre, OF. flondre, prob. of Scand. orig. (cf. OSw. flundra, Da. flynder, ON. flyðra).

flounder

views updated May 29 2018

flounder2 †stumble; plunge or tumble about clumsily, XVI. of uncert. (perh. imit.) orig.

flounder

views updated May 17 2018

flounder Small flatfish, Platichthys spp., also called fluke.