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

Relevance

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

While the Yankees are often criticized for being too analytical, tabbing Cole goes against the numbers, as Tampa’s lineup has flailed against southpaws all season. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026 The radical group believes that sacrificing three people is the key to saving humanity — when all Tyler wants to do is save his flailing acting career. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2026 Their good fortune is picking up speed, as the increasingly sclerotic and daft president furiously flails. — Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026 So, why now, halfway through the first take of the shoot, was Axl flailing his arm like a windmill with his jacket hurling around through space like a lasso? — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flail

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flail

Verb

To achieve that fluttering action, the material in these baits is very soft.

— Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Yellow caution tape fluttered in the wind as water poured into a room strewn with wooden debris, an upturned refrigerator and a television.

— Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of flutter

Verb

Fire crews scrambled late Saturday as fierce winds whipped flames beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright and into the surrounding rural area.

— Rob Gillies, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Fire crews scrambled late into the night as fierce winds whipped flames beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright and into the surrounding rural area.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of whip

Verb

Birds chirp in the tree branches above, and a large yellow butterfly alights on a leaf before flapping away into the sloping sunshine.

— Sophie Neiman, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2026
That means the bird species flapping around in backyards today are effectively the only surviving dinosaurs.

— Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of flap

Verb

Working in quick, gentle strokes, Abrams used her brush and sprayer to peel away dirt hiding the floral details on Eliza’s grave before moving to the next.

— Kimberlee Kruesi, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
The subsequent furor is about hiding it from the public and about a brazen plea to keep the Democratic Party and three of its candidates from advertising those facts.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of hide

Noun

Then pants, boots and cane and of course, the last is the cape.

— Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
Questions that have been proposed for removal deal with memory, fatigue, arthritis, difficulty walking and climbing stairs, as well as others about the use of hearing aids, canes, wheelchairs and scooters.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of cane

Verb

Butner slashed $30,000 off his asking price, but that generated only one offer, which fell through.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
The bill slashed Medicaid funding by $1 trillion over the next 10 years, in part through new work and eligibility requirements.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of slash

Noun

David Jolly is the son of a preacher man, but has vowed never to use his religion as a cudgel against anyone’s beliefs.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
Just the mere threat of a False Claims Act investigation is a powerful cudgel, lawyers have said.

— Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of cudgel

Browse Nearby Words

flag-wavers

flail

flailed

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flail. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of flail

verb

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on flail

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

disparate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes