flail 1 of 2

verb

Definition of flailnext
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

flail

2 of 2

noun

as in bludgeon

Related Words

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
The man hugged a bag, the woman shouted and flailed her arms, and the young teenage boy pulled at his sister, who seemed stupefied. — Literary Hub, 21 July 2026 While Rhaenyra flails from one problem to the next, Ormund plots and schemes and uses his wits to undo his enemies. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 The gambit ended up paying off as Ferrer got Devers to flail at an outside slider to record the inning-ending strikeout. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 19 July 2026 The movements are entirely reflexive, yet the arm that flails more predicts future handedness with a high level of accuracy. — Quanta Magazine, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for flail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flail
  1. flutter
  2. whip
  3. bludgeon
  4. flap
  5. hide
  6. cane
  7. slash
  8. cudgel
Verb
  • This isn't the first time a butterfly motif has fluttered, so to speak, into Larsson's glam routine.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 6 July 2026
  • Just thinking of what his subjects, used to the continuity of antiquity, might have made of this makes the heart flutter.
    — Chandrahas Choudhury, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 July 2026
Definition of flutter
Verb
  • Lesnar whipped Femi into the steel ring steps shoulder-first, but Femi returned the favor.
    — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Prosecutors allege Williams and several other suspects held a victim against his will, pistol whipped him and stripped him of his belongings, Boyd said.
    — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of whip
Noun
  • Iran practices honest bludgeon work.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
  • 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
Definition of bludgeon
Verb
  • Maybe the manager didn’t feel like flapping their arms to dry them, seeing as how the cookline handwash sink didn’t have paper towels or a blower.
    — David J. Neal July 24, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • Generally, to be considered autistic, a person must have exhibited social difficulties and repetitive behaviors—such as hand-flapping and spinning—from before the age of 5.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of flap
Verb
  • The officers also have drones and helicopters equipped to track people hiding in the dark.
    — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • Here, cocktails, snacks, and afternoon tea are served daily and make for a great little spot to hide out from the heavy heat of the day.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026
Definition of hide
Noun
  • After the end of sugar, the old plantations had begun leasing their fallow cane lands to Big Ag companies, such as Dow, Pioneer, and Brun’s Syngenta, which took advantage of lax regulations to conduct experimental GMO and pesticide testing.
    — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Victim 2, who is a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue employee according to the New York Times, was repeatedly struck with canes and paddles and bled through his underwear and pants because of lacerations to his buttocks, according to the warrant.
    — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026
Definition of cane
Verb
  • The government alleged that federal agents feared for their safety that day and that protesters damaged property, including slashing tires.
    — Meg Anderson, NPR, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Due to federal funding cuts, universities have slashed the number of graduate students who receive financial support for their work.
    — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of slash
Noun
  • While lawmakers have mostly thrown their backing behind the bill, some are wary of granting the president even more leeway to impose import taxes as a foreign policy cudgel.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 31 July 2026
  • Politicians on the right, from Bailey to Trump, have frequently used Illinois’ move to eliminate money bond as a cudgel against Democrats, blaming Chicago’s violent crime on the change.
    — Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026
Definition of cudgel

Browse Nearby Words

flag-wavers
flail
flailed
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Cite this Entry

“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flail. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on flail

Nglish: Translation of flail for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flail

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