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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of flail
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
But as the public struggled to make sense of the event, media organizations were flailing too.
—Taylor Lorenz, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2025
Thanks to that Hail Mary pass of a merger proposal Alex brought in to block her billionaire then-boyfriend and handsome skeezeball Paul Marks from scooping up the flailing network, the merged networks of UBA and NBN are now known as UBN.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
Bynum ran toward his end zone and began to flail around.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flail
Noun
Weeks 3 and 4, when Denver was flailing.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
But as the public struggled to make sense of the event, media organizations were flailing too.
—Taylor Lorenz, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2025
Thanks to that Hail Mary pass of a merger proposal Alex brought in to block her billionaire then-boyfriend and handsome skeezeball Paul Marks from scooping up the flailing network, the merged networks of UBA and NBN are now known as UBN.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
Bynum ran toward his end zone and began to flail around.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flail
Verb
-
Union Jack bunting fluttered overhead.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Coomes has seen unexplained orbs fluttering in upstairs offices on the security cameras.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Hakeem actually whipped his members to shut the government down.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Folding whipped topping gently into the pudding mixture keeps the filling fluffy and mousse-like.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The transformation of the rattlesnake into a colonial icon coincided with the demise of the snakes themselves as settlers began to bludgeon rattlesnakes by the thousands.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
3 Aug. 2025
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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
Verb
-
Union Jacks flap gently in the breeze; a golden slither of evening sun drapes a row of cottages; a red postbox, still bearing the initials of the late Queen, stands outside a village church, bathed in the fading light.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
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That goes for Jimmy Kimmel and for anybody who flaps their gums for a living.—
Jesse Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And Kirsten Dunst plays Leigh Wainscott, the Charlotte mom Manchester dated while hiding out off Independence Boulevard.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Sep. 2025
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In the trailer, the three men get right to their antics with a broken vase, hiding a dead body, a dynamic SWAT entry, and running in an attempt to escape.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
When words lose their original meanings and are repurposed as verbal cudgels, the public sphere becomes a jungle of denunciation, intimidation, and even violence.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
The House spending bill would use that power as a cudgel, halting congressional approval of FASB’s budget (see page 108) until the accounting agency repeals its new disclosure rules.—
Howard Gleckman,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But French police have also been observed previously using knives to slash and sink the inflatable boats of migrants who put up little or no resistance.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
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The application window was slashed from the usual month-long period to just nine days, buried during a national crisis when many filmmakers were literally unable to access government offices due to civil unrest.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Cover the pot and the bottom few inches of the rose canes with soil, then add a layer of mulch for insulation.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
30 Sep. 2025
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Cane sugar is a popular sweetener that comes from sugar cane or sugar beets.—
Lindsey DeSoto,
Health,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flail. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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