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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 rat bit and tore and scratched while the snake twisted and flailed. — Madeline Ffitch, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026 And for the next 17 years, SunZia flailed, never even breaking ground. — Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026 While the Yankees are often criticized for being too analytical, tabbing Cole goes against the numbers, as Tampa’s lineup has flailed against southpaws all season. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026 Harper flailed at a Sale slider that was in the other batter’s box. — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Daniels confessed that the Hendrick teams underestimated their gap to the Toyotas, which won five of the first six races, then flailed by trying to do too much in their setups at early races, including Darlington and Phoenix. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026 Lonsway started his career on a high note by striking out the Diamondbacks’ Ildemaro Vargas, who flailed at strike three and lost his bat. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flailed

Verb

But in the build-up to that goal, Hemansen had flapped at a Caspar Jander cross.

— Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of flapped

Verb

The Falcons’ starting quarterback twirled a black string around his finger, then violently whipped it down after his first interception.

— Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Brown became the leader of the House Trade Working Group, a caucus of Democratic representatives opposed to free-trade agreements who whipped votes on those deals.

— Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of whipped

Verb

Jackson threw a lateral to wide receiver Tucker Cusano, who was supposed to throw downfield, but the ball appeared to slip out of his hand and fluttered into the air.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 1 Nov. 2026
Yellow caution tape fluttered in the wind as water poured into a room strewn with wooden debris, an upturned refrigerator and a television.

— Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of fluttered

Verb

In some cases, producers slashed wholesale prices paid by importers in an effort to take on some of the cost associated with a tariff.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
With his tires slashed by Todd and cops en route, Fang selects a glossy red muscle car for his getaway.

— Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of slashed

Verb

Europe is looking for alternative sources of energy after turning its back on Russian oil and gas following Moscow's full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in 2022, while consumers are being lashed by rocketing fuel prices compounded by the Iran war.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
Trump lashed out at Pirro over the admission and has continued to claim vandals were to blame.

— Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of lashed

Verb

Boyd, who maintained his innocence to the end, thrashed and convulsed for 40 minutes after prison officials attached a gas mask to his face, according to Hood and journalist Lee Hedgepeth, who witnessed Boyd’s execution.

— Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2026
But in an ironic twist, part of the parking lot was underwater, a tractor had raised a berm to hold back the ocean, and just to the south, homes were being thrashed by waves.

— Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of thrashed

Verb

The attacker slapped the woman on the buttocks on Bedford and Willoughby Aves.

— Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
As Los Angeles became more crowded and less pleasant a place to live, the high-handedness of Southern California developers and officialdom occasionally got those hands slapped.

— Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of slapped

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“Flailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailed. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of flailed

verb

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