flail

1 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 beat, flap, flop, flutter, whipRelated Words bang, batter, buffet, knock, pound, smack, spank, thump; flick, flicker, flit; fan, oscillate, sway, swing; undulate, wave; palpitate, pulse, throb

2 to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible gruesome evidence that the prisoner had been flailed Synonyms birch, cowhide, flagellate, whip, flog, hide, horsewhip, lash, leather, rawhide, scourge, slash, switch, tan, thrash, whaleRelated Words knout, quirt, strap; cut; flick, touch up; blackjack, cane, club, cudgel, fustigate; pistol-whip; bang, bop, box, bust, clap, clip, clobber, clout, crack, cuff, hit, knock, lam, paste, punch, slap, slug, smack, smite, sock, spank, swat, swipe, thwack, wallop, whack; bash, baste, bat, batter, beat, belabor, belt, bludgeon, buffet, bung, drub, fib [British], hammer, lace, lambaste (or lambast), lather, lick, mangle, maul, paddle, pelt, pommel, pound, pummel, rough, slate, slog, thresh, thump, tromp, whop (or whap), whup, work over