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Flounder vs Flunk - What's the difference?

flounder | flunk |

As verbs the difference between flounder and flunk

is that flounder is to flop around as a fish out of water while flunk is of a student, to fail a class; to not pass.

As a noun flounder

is a European species of flatfish having dull brown colouring with reddish-brown blotches; fluke, European flounder, species: Platichthys flesus.

flounder

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) floundre, from . Cognate with Danish flynder, German Flunder, Swedish flundra.

Noun

(en-noun)
  • A European species of flatfish having dull brown colouring with reddish-brown blotches; fluke, European flounder, .
  • (North America) Any of various flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae or Bothidae.
  • A bootmaker's tool for crimping boot fronts.
    • (rfi, the bootmaker's tool)
    External links
    * (wikipedia "flounder")

    Etymology 2

    Possibly from the noun. Possibly from (founder) or from (etyl) . See other terms beginning with fl , such as (flutter), (flitter), (float), (flap), (flub), (flip)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To flop around as a fish out of water.
  • To make clumsy attempts to move or regain one's balance.
    • Robert yanked Connie's leg vigorously, causing her to flounder and eventually fall.
  • To act clumsily or confused; to struggle or be flustered.
  • * Sir W. Hamilton
    • They have floundered on from blunder to blunder.
    He gave a good speech, but floundered when audience members asked questions he could not answer well.
  • * 1996 , , Virago Press, paperback edition, page 136
    • He is assessing directions, but he is not lost, not floundering .
    Usage notes
    Frequently confused with the verb founder. The difference is one of severity; floundering'' (struggling to maintain a position) comes before ''foundering (losing it completely by falling, sinking or failing).

    References

    English nouns with irregular plurals

    flunk

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (US, ambitransitive) Of a student, to fail a class; to not pass.
    • He flunked math, again.
  • (US) Of a teacher, to deny a student a passing grade.
    • Unsatisfied with Fred's progress, the teacher flunked him.
  • (US, dated, informal) To shirk (a task or duty).
  • To back out through fear.

    • See also

    * flunk out English ergative verbs