1
as in flapped
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 whipped
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 flailed
Kickboxing robots flailed wildly before falling over, and some sprinters crashed into rivals.
—
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2025
On Sunday, Merrill flailed at two sliders in the dirt from Tyler Glasnow before looking at a third down the middle for strike three to strand a runner in the first inning.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2025
On Sunday, Merrill flailed at two sliders in the dirt from Tyler Glasnow before looking at a third down the middle for strike three to strand a runner in the first inning.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flailed
Verb
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Moytoy flapped his lips fast like an engine.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Aug. 2025
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Cunha, sitting on the turf, flapped his arms when Mbeumo failed to follow in for a tap-in.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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LaVine and Monk whipped the crowd into a frenzy, combining to make 17 of 32 from the field and 10 of 18 from 3-point range as the Kings bounced back from a season-opening loss to the Phoenix Suns.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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The cold brew is bitter but topped with a fluffy, whipped cold foam that tastes almondy, sweet and spice-filled.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Union Jack bunting fluttered overhead.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
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Concertgoers fluttered around the building, staying away from the barricaded stairs leading up to the upstairs balcony, which is inaccessible.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Under new China chief Molly Liu, the chain has also expanded its drinks menu to include more sugar-free options and teas catering to local tastes, slashed prices on a slew of beverages and upped its options for customizing orders.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
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Global climate policies and rapid advancements in clean energy technology and energy efficiency have slashed that forecast.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Picking sweet Julie mangoes from the big tree in the front yard of my childhood home; going to the beach where my late brother tried (and failed) to teach me to swim; visiting relatives during the summer in the very areas that were now being lashed by rain and wind.—
Grace White,
Essence,
29 Oct. 2025
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Vargas floated groups of migrants across the informal border crossing between Guatemala and Mexico on a makeshift raft made from wooden boards lashed to fat inner tubes.—
Daniel Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Kravitz's new cut couldn't be fresher, with blunt, flicked out ends that barely reach below her ears.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
20 Oct. 2025
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Djokovic raced onto it, flicked the ball down the line, and still won the point, rousing himself and the crowd with a finger to the ear.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Giants followed that up by getting thrashed by the Eagles in Philadelphia this past Sunday.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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And that all came into play in Game 1, as the Jays thrashed the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11-4, at a raucous Rogers Centre on Friday night.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The elder Ciattarelli slapped his forward with his right hand as his son, dressed in camouflage fatigues, approached for a hug.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
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One columnist with the New Pittsburgh Courier even slapped Whyte’s label on the United Nations, suggesting that countries, like individuals, had a primal aversion to yielding their sovereignty to the groupthink of world governance.—
David Merritt Johns,
The Atlantic,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailed. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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