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
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
The film’s abundant humor and humanity are both rooted in DiCaprio’s ability to contain both of those people at once — to span the distance between those opposite shores while flailing towards each of them with equal desperation.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2025
The Red Sox continue to get help from the flailing Houston Astros, who lost 6-0 to the Athletics late Wednesday night for the club’s fifth straight loss.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
And, back at home, his FBI director, Kash Patel was flailing in a pair of congressional hearings this week when asked about Epstein.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flail
Verb
According to the Money Doctor, the administration’s interest in a plan that would substitute the dollar for the flailing Argentine peso has greatly intensified in recent weeks as Milei’s political fortunes have weakened.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
The film’s abundant humor and humanity are both rooted in DiCaprio’s ability to contain both of those people at once — to span the distance between those opposite shores while flailing towards each of them with equal desperation.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2025
The Red Sox continue to get help from the flailing Houston Astros, who lost 6-0 to the Athletics late Wednesday night for the club’s fifth straight loss.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
And, back at home, his FBI director, Kash Patel was flailing in a pair of congressional hearings this week when asked about Epstein.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flail
Verb
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The president’s guests — which included top members of his administration, MAGA allies and big-time political donors — noshed on hors d’oeuvres and downed exotic cocktails while jazz music blared and burlesque dancers fluttered their fans.—
Garrett Haake,
NBC news,
3 Nov. 2025
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The all-new Elevance Concept SUV isn't as immediately lovable as the classic Delica Chamonix 4x4 vans that still make our hearts flutter generations later.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There were some frightening moments early Monday for a Miramar man after police say he was pistol whipped during a home invasion and his French bulldog was stolen.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
5 Jan. 2026
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Or whips around his defender in a bold pirouette.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There’s Xi Jinping mogging Bibi Netanyahu while deafeningly aggro phonk bludgeons away; hype montages paint Marx as history’s greatest theorist and pair Zohran Mamdani quotes with Playboi Carti Die Lit cuts.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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The next unethical president on the left will happily use whatever government bludgeon this administration fashions to pummel the right.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While images of retinas bursting with color and a dove flapping its wings on an outstretched human hand looped behind them, the two allowed the crowd to grow denser while bobbing along to their rhythms.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025
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Gauzy curtains that have blown into a tree are flapping in the wind.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Still seething after a sloppy 19-16 loss to the Detroit Lions, Johnson wasn’t hiding his dissatisfaction with a defeat that seemed to diminish his team’s momentum.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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But the jury in the federal civil lawsuit found that Moore violated Gillispie's rights by hiding evidence that would have helped Gillispie's defense and creating unfair lineup procedures for the victims.—
Laura A. Bischoff,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Of course, Philly’s historic cobblestone streets, narrow alleyways and uneven sidewalks aren’t wheelchair- or cane-friendly, and are a challenge for people with mobility limitations.—
Laura Baehr,
The Conversation,
6 Jan. 2026
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In videos widely shared to social media, Joel is seen looking thin, walking on stage with the help of a cane, a sign of his condition, a neurological disorder called Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Major airlines have announced further cancellations to hundreds of flights scheduled through the weekend after more than 1,000 were slashed on Friday.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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Fiserv’s crash came after the compan y slashed its full-year guidance and announced several changes to its executive leadership team.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Trump has wielded them like a cudgel to get better trade deals with other countries.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
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Likability can be a cudgel against female characters, and, thanks to Girls, Konner is used to dealing with questions on that subject.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flail. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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