Thesaurus results for FLAIL

flail 1 of 2

verb

Definition of flail

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in to whip

to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible gruesome evidence that the prisoner had been flailed

Synonyms & Similar Words

flail

2 of 2

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

Rangzen appears to flail and takes several steps as the fire consumes him. — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026 The inebriated father who sometimes leapt upon his sleeping children, fists flailing? — Jason Prokowiew, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026 Another turn in a winning season that would have seemed improbable two months ago, when the Phillies flailed and manager Rob Thomson lost his job. — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 27 June 2026 But the show still makes its point that the world of this play has narcissistic aggressors and flailing victims, and those who fall into both of those categories. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for flail

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flail

Verb

This isn't the first time a butterfly motif has fluttered, so to speak, into Larsson's glam routine.

— Kara Nesvig, Allure, 6 July 2026
Just thinking of what his subjects, used to the continuity of antiquity, might have made of this makes the heart flutter.

— Chandrahas Choudhury, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 July 2026

Definition of flutter

Verb

Once Turek has finished writhing about on the floor in a shambolic attempt to gather, Czibor is on hand to whip the ball away and tuck it home from six yards, the simplest of tasks.

— Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Zeus and Poseidon are at it again—one hurling thunderbolts, the other whipping the sea into a frenzy.

— Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Definition of whip

Verb

Luna then tried to jump over Sandy to get back into the bowl of the nest, but Sandy lost her balance and flapped down to the lower branches.

— Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 July 2026
The key to this dual-medium success is wing flexibility, which must be supple enough to reduce flapping amplitude underwater yet rigid enough to keep the vehicle airborne.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 July 2026

Definition of flap

Verb

The tree in Athens isn’t likely to make it through the construction of a new $225 million courthouse, despite some interest in preserving the piece of history hiding in plain sight.

— Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 23 July 2026
The tinkerer believes there is always another possibility hiding beneath the surface of failure.

— Lintao "LT" Lu, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of hide

Verb

Following the British Grand Prix weekend, Antonelli found his lead slashed to only 25 points over his teammate George Russell, who built on his second-place finish in Barcelona and his victory in Spielberg with a P2 on home turf at Silverstone.

— Yara Elshebiny, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
One such example is his launching of the pharmaceutical company Cost Plus Drugs in 2022, which is able to slash the cost of prescription medications by selling mostly generic products without the typical middlemen of Pharmacy Benefit Managers.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 20 July 2026

Definition of slash

Noun

Politicians on the right, from Bailey to Trump, have frequently used Illinois’ move to eliminate money bond as a cudgel against Democrats, blaming Chicago’s violent crime on the change.

— Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026
Their dynamic is instead a cudgel to beat the film into an even more revolting shape.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 10 July 2026

Definition of cudgel

Browse Nearby Words

flag-wavers

flail

flailed

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“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flail. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of flail

verb

noun

Example Sentences

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