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
Caroline Framke, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
Colorado spent six innings flailing away against Skenes before Mickey Moniak's sinking line-drive single to left-center with one out in the seventh.
—CBS News, 13 May 2026
Some fans said the actor instead resembled an early-PlayStation-era cutscene character who robotically flails his limbs upon impact.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
Colorado spent six innings flailing away against Skenes before Mickey Moniak's sinking line-drive single to left-center with one out in the seventh.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for flail
Verb
On The Comeback, the flailing sitcom actress Valerie Cherish (played by Lisa Kudrow) is accustomed to sacrificing her dignity for the spotlight.
—Caroline Framke, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
Colorado spent six innings flailing away against Skenes before Mickey Moniak's sinking line-drive single to left-center with one out in the seventh.
—CBS News, 13 May 2026
Some fans said the actor instead resembled an early-PlayStation-era cutscene character who robotically flails his limbs upon impact.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
Colorado spent six innings flailing away against Skenes before Mickey Moniak's sinking line-drive single to left-center with one out in the seventh.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for flail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flail
Verb
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Keep your eyes open for Martial and Mallow scrub-hairstreaks, lyside sulphurs, malachites, and a variety of skippers fluttering among the blooms.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Dec. 2025
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Anaheim took charge with a four-goal second period that featured a franchise-record 27 shots on Chicago's net, capped by Carlsson's 15th goal on a fluttering deflection for a 5-0 lead.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The late night host whipped out a photo for her reference.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
12 Dec. 2025
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The terrifying European monster carries a whipping stick instead of toys, and yet people seem to like him.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
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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
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And so Coetzee decided that El polaco would be his bludgeon against the dominance of English.—
Carey Baraka,
The Dial,
26 June 2025
Verb
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Upping the supernatural Hammer horror effect of Skrilla’s Zombie Love Kensington Paradise, Happy randomly flaps his lips, shifts his pitch and the tempo of his flow, and sounds like a disembodied voice rapping from inside of a suffocating fog.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
11 Dec. 2025
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But those series understood how to trace the flapping-butterfly-wing effects of such brutal actions outward, to take the violence and pain of our collective past and connect them to what this country would eventually become.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Their complaint included chat logs that appear to indicate that ChatGPT advised him on suicide methods and how to hide evidence from previous attempts from his parents.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
11 Dec. 2025
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Signature shareable paellas and housemade sangria pitchers are must-tries across its three San Antonio locations—one of which hides the popular underground speakeasy, Cellar Mixology.—
Kat Stinson,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
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On his worst days, the pain requires him to rely on a cane.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
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But his parents hope that the teen, who uses a wheelchair or cane for mobility, will continue to gain independence.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Deleon had at least seven prior arrests, including a 2022 case in which he was accused of slashing a man in the neck.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
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Residents have offered several suggestions for cuts, including reducing pensions, slashing commissioners' salaries in half, cutting the city manager's salary, eliminating staff redundancy, getting rid of take-home cars, and pausing park upgrades without public input.—
Ted Scouten,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Linda wields her absolute power over Bradley like a cudgel, exploiting his helplessness to emotionally abuse and manipulate him.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 May 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flail. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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