flail 1 of 2

Definition of flailnext

flail

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flail
Verb
The 7-foot-4 phenom then flailed his right arm back and struck Reid in the neck. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026 The Braves were a ratings hit, and when the team flailed and went up for sale, Turner’s company became its owner in 1976. Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026 The Wild turned a corner scrum on the Avs’ side of the ice into a loose puck in front of Wedgie’s crease, and Minnesota’s Marcus Johansson slipped it past the Avs’ flailing netminder to trim the deficit to 3-1. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 May 2026 While fans had long been advocating for Bravo to recruit Hubbard to save a flailing RHONY, the network instead is launching a Valley-esque spinoff led by Hubbard, Kyle Cook, and Amanda Batula called In the City. Tom Smyth, Vulture, 4 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for flail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flail
Verb
  • Elke and Alysia started seeing the big bugs fluttering around in late April, and as their numbers grew through early May, the native rainbows started keying in on them more and more.
    Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026
  • No one enjoys finding moths fluttering around the flour or tiny caterpillars crawling in the cereal.
    Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
Verb
  • There’s also a menu of small snacks, with mezzes like hummus, tzatziki, whipped feta, falafel, halloumi, artichoke and eggplant.
    Connie Ogle May 15, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
  • The one-time Ducks first-round draft pick whipped a shot through traffic from just above the slot.
    Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 15 May 2026
Noun
  • Iran practices honest bludgeon work.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
  • But Beshear hasn’t turned Trump-bashing into a 24/7 vocation, or a weight-lifting contest where the winner is the critic wielding the heaviest bludgeon.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The place is a sound-effects recording studio, with three sound designers creating and dubbing aural effects — footsteps on a sandy beach, flapping bird wings — onto pieces of film footage.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 May 2026
  • The tents were flapping about in two or three feet of water.
    Ben East, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • That day, Riley had been editing a sequence in which Corvette sneaks into a San Francisco condo owned by Christie, her fashion idol, by hiding inside a coffee delivery cart.
    Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
  • Bugs also tend to hide inside packaging, seams, or even the food itself.
    Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 15 May 2026
Noun
  • The Rio Grande was twenty feet away, shining between stalks of river cane.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
  • Renovated in 2023, the traditional Goan style continues in guest rooms with parquet floors, cane weave chairs, antique-style wardrobes with mirrors and headboards, and furnished balconies or terraces.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 May 2026
Verb
  • With the center unavailable on Pavel Mintyukov’s first-period slashing penalty against Vegas star Mitch Marner, rookie Tim Washe played with both Killorn and Granlund.
    Eric Stephens, New York Times, 13 May 2026
  • Trump has attacked the Fed and its outgoing chair, Jerome Powell, for refusing to slash rates to boost the economy.
    Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Noun
  • The attempt by right-wing activists to use the collapse of Spirit Airlines as a cudgel against the Democrats is ironic and absurd.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 May 2026
  • The three main mayoral candidates seem to have finally prioritized the problem, or at least understand its value as a cudgel against each other.
    Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flail. Accessed 18 May. 2026.

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