Thesaurus results for FLAILED

flailed

verb

past tense of flail

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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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 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 Belgium’s Hans Vanaken thumped it into the goal past defender Tim Ream, who flailed lamely as Belgium scored. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 7 July 2026 Another turn in a winning season that would have seemed improbable two months ago, when the Phillies flailed and manager Rob Thomson lost his job. — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 27 June 2026 Crow-Armstrong flailed and pounded the offering into the ground. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 8 June 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flailed

Verb

Above the dancers flapped a ring of American flags, each representing a military veteran from the community who had passed away.

— Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Luna then tried to jump over Sandy to get back into the bowl of the nest, but Sandy lost her balance and flapped down to the lower branches.

— Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 July 2026

Definition of flapped

Verb

The first model emerged onto a sinuous runway in a nubuck coat paired with chiffon pants that fluttered in the breeze, revealing knee-high calfskin boots.

— Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
Yellow flags Nothing did more damage to UConn’s defense in Saturday’s opener than the little yellow flags that fluttered onto the field from the referees’ waistband.

— Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of fluttered

Verb

Christian then lays out the finale’s mandates, which, just like last season, are dramatically slashed down from what Project Runway used to be.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
The world's largest oil buyer has slashed its imports after the war broke out, tapping into its stockpiles, keeping a lid on global oil prices and safeguarding its economy.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of slashed

Verb

Last month, Trump lashed out on coverage of poll results, which have been sagging in the 30s as Republicans seek to retain control of Congress.

— Ted Johnson, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026
Outside a fierce storm lashed down, wind whipped against the wood planks, thunder shook the ground, water streamed through cracks and floated into the shack.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of lashed

Verb

That’s the good life for a family that rarely flicked on the television in their childhood home.

— Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Over two hours away through miles of dense forest, before any stadium lights flicked on in Summit at Southwest Mississippi Community College, Nolan’s coaches and teammates found several ways to remember their promising recruit Thursday.

— Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of flicked

Verb

With a body thrashed by occupational hazards, Hsu, who is forty-four, orients his life nowadays around running Sci-Fi Fantasy, his skate company, and roaming the city to take pictures.

— Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
The flooding on the canyon floor started Saturday afternoon after waves of rainfall thrashed Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch – the only lodging under the rim of the Grand Canyon.

— Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of thrashed

Verb

Apple has now discontinued the older 17 Pro models and slapped $100 price hikes on all other existing models, including the regular iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17e.

— Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026
Washington had then slapped new 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian wine, hockey sticks and other key goods.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of slapped

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“Flailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailed. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of flailed

verb

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