: 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
flailed; flailing; flails
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
: 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
Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
All around him, the Spirit took hold, and people flailed their arms, wept, and danced.
—Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
Jagger, 80, captioned the video, featuring the rocker flailing his arms around at the cameraperson during a live cover of the 2011 track.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
The video shows her flailing so hard, her legs thrashing in the air, that the man tumbled to the ground.
—Ronen Bergman, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Logistics may seem like an intimidating industry for some investors – a flailing megalith with its feet still firmly planted in a bygone era.
—Marianne Lehnis, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Viewership for this year’s Globes was still down substantially from 2019, as awards shows across the board have faced ratings challenges, and the show’s host, comedian Jo Koy, took a major drubbing for his flailing performance.
—Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Peltz’s 25 desperate attempts to join Disney’s board should be seen as the last flicker of the flame of the flailing financier.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
Just three minutes later, Núñez was denied by a flailing Onana on the stroke of halftime but the ball dropped at the feet of Salah, who rifled home to complete a rapid turnaround on the stroke of halftime.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024
Verb
Renée Zellweger is set to return as the lovable but flailing at life Jones as is Hugh Grant as rapscallion Daniel Cleaver.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
All around him, the Spirit took hold, and people flailed their arms, wept, and danced.
—Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
Jagger, 80, captioned the video, featuring the rocker flailing his arms around at the cameraperson during a live cover of the 2011 track.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
The video shows her flailing so hard, her legs thrashing in the air, that the man tumbled to the ground.
—Ronen Bergman, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Logistics may seem like an intimidating industry for some investors – a flailing megalith with its feet still firmly planted in a bygone era.
—Marianne Lehnis, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Viewership for this year’s Globes was still down substantially from 2019, as awards shows across the board have faced ratings challenges, and the show’s host, comedian Jo Koy, took a major drubbing for his flailing performance.
—Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Peltz’s 25 desperate attempts to join Disney’s board should be seen as the last flicker of the flame of the flailing financier.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
Just three minutes later, Núñez was denied by a flailing Onana on the stroke of halftime but the ball dropped at the feet of Salah, who rifled home to complete a rapid turnaround on the stroke of halftime.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near flail
Cite this Entry
“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flail. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flail
1 of 2 noun
: a tool for threshing grain by hand
flail
2 of 2 verb1
: 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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