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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in whipped
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
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 flailed
The 7-foot-4 phenom then flailed his right arm back and struck Reid in the neck.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
The Braves were a ratings hit, and when the team flailed and went up for sale, Turner’s company became its owner in 1976.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
Gorman flailed at a 96 mph full-count four-seamer.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 19 Apr. 2026
After being placed in a government vehicle, Ferreira Borges allegedly kicked, flailed, and screamed obscenities at officers, officials said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2026
On an odd-man rush, New Jersey's Jesper Bratt scored the go-ahead goal for his second score of the game from the left circle off a perfect pass from Jack Hughes as John Gibson flailed around in an attempt to stop the puck.
—CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Coach Hansen flailed his fist, calling it the biggest win in school history, the program’s second NorCal victory after Tuesday’s resounding 84-58 home win over Destiny Christian-Sacramento.
—Mitch Stephens, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2026
His left leg flailed a bit in the air.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026
By then, Achiuwa had already beaten Tyler Kolek in a foot race to the ball, and Brown flailed his arms in frustration while screaming for his All-Star to get off the floor.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
The Braves were a ratings hit, and when the team flailed and went up for sale, Turner’s company became its owner in 1976.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
Gorman flailed at a 96 mph full-count four-seamer.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 19 Apr. 2026
After being placed in a government vehicle, Ferreira Borges allegedly kicked, flailed, and screamed obscenities at officers, officials said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2026
On an odd-man rush, New Jersey's Jesper Bratt scored the go-ahead goal for his second score of the game from the left circle off a perfect pass from Jack Hughes as John Gibson flailed around in an attempt to stop the puck.
—CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Coach Hansen flailed his fist, calling it the biggest win in school history, the program’s second NorCal victory after Tuesday’s resounding 84-58 home win over Destiny Christian-Sacramento.
—Mitch Stephens, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2026
His left leg flailed a bit in the air.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026
By then, Achiuwa had already beaten Tyler Kolek in a foot race to the ball, and Brown flailed his arms in frustration while screaming for his All-Star to get off the floor.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flailed
Verb
-
Kerolin’s head was down and eventually so was Shaw’s, her run stopped, arms flapped against her side.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
The jacket hugged every contour of your torso and never flapped in the wind.—
The Editors,
Outside,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As conquerers of the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks have whipped all five boroughs into a frenzy.—
Esfandiar Baraheni,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
-
Costume bit the tenant’s hands and cheek during the struggle, then whipped a knife out of his pocket and stabbed the tenant in the back of the neck, the tenant said.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Advertisement Crossing an overpass into my western suburb of Baghdad, militia flags stamped with Ali Khamenei’s face fluttered in the wind.—
Nabil Salih,
Time,
26 May 2026
-
Xi and a line-up of his top officials shook hands with the Russian president, before the relaxed-looking leaders stood shoulder to shoulder during a gun salute, while a military band played and Russian and Chinese flags fluttered in the background.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Critics contend that the country’s poverty rate sharply increased as Milei slashed welfare spending, devalued the country’s currency and rolled back labor rights as job losses mounted and as pension payments plummeted.—
Daniel Rivero,
Miami Herald,
30 May 2026
-
Global fertilizer companies have slashed production over shortfalls of sulphur, required to make many farming inputs; about half of the global supply passed through the strait before the Iran war.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Trump has lashed out at NATO and threatened to withdraw in recent months over alliance members’ reluctance to get involved in the Iran war.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
3 June 2026
-
This torturous ordeal marked Mee’s first time entering this cave, located in the foothills of a mining project near the village of Long Tieng, hours away from the nearest cities and on muddy roads that have been lashed by the rainy season.—
Kocha Olarn,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
And then, as if a switch had been flicked, Alamo’s tone changed again.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
Hull went closest on the stroke of halftime when McBurnie’s header flicked off a Middlesbrough defender and clipped the top of the crossbar.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Mikel Arteta’s side thrashed Leeds United 5-0 in August, Nottingham Forest 3-0 in September and Atletico Madrid 4-0 in October.—
Dean Jones,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
Last season, Lyon won the first leg at Emirates Stadium but was thrashed 4-1 in the second match en route to Arsenal winning the title for the second time.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Statlander and Shida then came to blows after Shida slapped her tag team partner across the face.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2026
-
She was also slapped into another dimension by Jules (Hunter Schafer) after lobbing several insults at her about Jules’ whole sugar baby situation.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailed. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
