1
as in to flutter
to move or cause to move with a striking motion
started to flail his arms wildly when he spied a bat in the house
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2
as in to whip
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
gruesome evidence that the prisoner had been flailed
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flail
Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
The robot began flailing in midair, scattering lab equipment and sending engineers scrambling.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2025
But Musk’s controversial role in the Trump administration alienated his eco-conscious customer base, stoking protests against Tesla and drawing ire from investors worried the CEO was taking his attention away from his flailing company.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 July 2025
Both women were beaming from the big screens and the fields of the south end of Grant Park were awash in flailing hands and fans snapping in the air.
—Jessi Roti, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flail
Noun
The entire cast is flailing around like a bunch of Sims who have been trapped in a room with no doors.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
The robot began flailing in midair, scattering lab equipment and sending engineers scrambling.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2025
But Musk’s controversial role in the Trump administration alienated his eco-conscious customer base, stoking protests against Tesla and drawing ire from investors worried the CEO was taking his attention away from his flailing company.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 July 2025
Both women were beaming from the big screens and the fields of the south end of Grant Park were awash in flailing hands and fans snapping in the air.
—Jessi Roti, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flail
Verb
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Stock image: Three U.S. flags flutter on a white fence in a California neighborhood.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Aug. 2025
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The force of McBride’s arrival rattled the uprights, sending the orange flags at their tops fluttering.—
Jourdan Rodrigue,
New York Times,
31 July 2025
Verb
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The game is a gonzo Kojima production through and through, tonally whipping between self-serious conversations about the nature of war and patriotism, and villains who can shoot lighting from their hands or morph into a swarm of bees.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
22 Aug. 2025
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Like many proud dads in the early 2000s, Cooper Manning often whipped out the camcorder to document his three children — May, Arch and Heid — growing up.—
Grace Raynor,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The transformation of the rattlesnake into a colonial icon coincided with the demise of the snakes themselves as settlers began to bludgeon rattlesnakes by the thousands.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
3 Aug. 2025
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While Israel was conducting its war in Gaza with a merciless bludgeon and no conception of an ending, its tactics against Hezbollah—setting off the beeper bombs, wiping out its missile stocks and weapons depots, killing its military and political leaders—proved far better targeted.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
28 July 2025
Verb
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The researchers found that condors flap their wings for less than 1% of their total flight time, with one bird covering over 100 miles in a single stretch without flapping at all.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
27 July 2025
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The management posted a notice forbidding all persons wearing mules to use the escalator as the flapping soles might get caught in the steps.—
Eileen Chang,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Extraterrestrial Easter Eggs and Fun Facts – Uncover the references and characters from some of your favorite Pixar films hidden throughout Elio, along with other fun facts.—
John Archer,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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The garden is located in a large area in the middle of the hotel's main gardens, but still hidden.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But if peace in Ukraine still looks remote and Trump goes ahead with his plan, the new cudgel could hit America’s own economy – through more expensive consumer goods, lower profit margins for American companies, and possibly higher oil prices, analysts told CNN.—
Anna Cooban,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
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Democrats have hoped to use the massive legislation package, which cuts Medicaid and other social services along with extending tax cuts, as a cudgel against Republicans in the midterms.—
Miriam Waldvogel,
The Hill,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The exigencies of World War II drastically slashed unemployment but did not improve living standards, and the wartime economy offered no guarantee against the reemergence of widespread joblessness when the conflict ended.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
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Sources familiar with the development tell Gurman that Meta has slashed the prices significantly to boost demand.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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These toads are a non-native species introduced to control sugar cane pests almost a century ago.—
Lois K. Solomon,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Aug. 2025
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Raised in a small town in Puebla, Mexico, her parents grew sugar cane to support a family that struggled financially.—
Olivia Cyrus,
Sacbee.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flail. Accessed 26 Aug. 2025.
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