flail

1 of 2

noun

: a hand threshing implement consisting of a wooden handle at the end of which a stouter and shorter stick is so hung as to swing freely

flail

2 of 2

verb

flailed; flailing; flails

transitive verb

1
a
: to strike with or as if with a flail
The bird's wings flailed the water.
b
: to move, swing, or beat as if wielding a flail
flailing a club to drive away the insects
2
: to thresh (grain) with a flail

intransitive verb

: to move, swing, or beat like a flail
arms flailing in the water

Examples of flail in a Sentence

Verb They were flailing their arms to drive away the insects. The wounded animal lay on the ground, flailing helplessly. He was wildly flailing about on the dance floor. The bird's wings flailed the water.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
Within those questions is the greatness revealed when the image moves again, when charging Eagles safety Reed Blankenship lifts a hand to tip Mayfield’s fourth-quarter throw, when the flailing football tumbles into linebacker Jihaad Campbell’s arms near the pylon. Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025 The film’s abundant humor and humanity are both rooted in DiCaprio’s ability to contain both of those people at once — to span the distance between those opposite shores while flailing towards each of them with equal desperation. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2025 The Red Sox continue to get help from the flailing Houston Astros, who lost 6-0 to the Athletics late Wednesday night for the club’s fifth straight loss. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025 Weeks 3 and 4, when Denver was flailing. Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for flail

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English fleil, flail, partly from Old English *flegel (whence Old English fligel), from Late Latin flagellum flail, from Latin, whip & partly from Anglo-French flael, from Late Latin flagellum — more at flagellate

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of flail was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flail. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

flail

1 of 2 noun
: a tool for threshing grain by hand

flail

2 of 2 verb
1
: to strike with or as if with a flail
2
: to move or wave about as if swinging a flail
flailed their arms

Medical Definition

flail

adjective
: exhibiting abnormal mobility and loss of response to normal controls
used of body parts damaged by paralysis, injury, or surgery
flail joint

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