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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flail
Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
None of it means that much to Aleida, who, like Kelly, is quietly flailing a bit.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
In these latest cuts, some of the other firings were in sales, recruiting, and Facebook, signaling that Zuckerberg is separating the chaff in non-AI related units beyond its flailing Metaverse division.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
Or the weak one may flail about for his whole life, trying to catch up to the one who always won.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flail
Verb
Williams then flailed his arms behind him and slapped Doncic in the throat.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
None of it means that much to Aleida, who, like Kelly, is quietly flailing a bit.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
In these latest cuts, some of the other firings were in sales, recruiting, and Facebook, signaling that Zuckerberg is separating the chaff in non-AI related units beyond its flailing Metaverse division.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
Or the weak one may flail about for his whole life, trying to catch up to the one who always won.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flail
Verb
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As Ember brushed past to turn on the lamp, one of the sheets came unstuck and fluttered out into the hallway, caught in her slight draft.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
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Patrick Kane took a shot from the point that fluttered through traffic and bounced off Compher, who was parked at the goalpost.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Children too short to see the stage stood on their tip-toes to watch Kevin Reyes, the actor who played the part of Jesus, being whipped.—
Laura Turbay,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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The famously-shy sophomore obliged, several of her teammates whipping out their phones to record the big moment.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Iran practices honest bludgeon work.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
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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
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View gallery - 7 images A wooden dragon sculpture that gently flaps its wings has become a crowd-funding hit, but after seeing the traditional handcrafted work that's been put into every single model, making each one unique, the value of such a piece becomes strikingly clear.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Mar. 2026
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The jacket hugged every contour of your torso and never flapped in the wind.—
The Editors,
Outside,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Senior Assistant County Attorney Bryan Schmid argued in court filings that Scott failed to show the law is unconstitutional and suggested that Scott could create his website and post his videos with redactions to hide the personal information in the clips.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
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Check and uncheck the boxes next each candidate to show/hide their responses.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Rabell was wearing her nightgown, sobbing, shaking and slumped against her cane when Horta picked her up, Horta said.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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Our journey culminates in a gathering around the ceremonial South Pole, candy-cane striped and flanked by international flags—the symbolic marker of where all lines of longitude meet (the geographic South Pole is several feet away and must be moved every year due to geology).—
Laura Dannen Redman,
Robb Report,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Replays showed Gaudreau slashed Wallstedt’s glove and inhibited his ability to make the save.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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Earlier this year, the board voted for a debt mitigation plan that involved slashing upwards of 70 jobs, closing a historic elementary school and cutting dozens of district programs and contracts.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Building and construction unions no longer can use their old rhetorical cudgel in this debate — calling prefab homes flimsy and unsafe.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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The shooting unleashed a stream of political reaction, with Republicans quick to blame Pritzker and his fellow Democrats for championing the state’s sanctuary policies, using them as a political cudgel in expressing outrage over Gorman’s killing.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flail. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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