flailed

verb

past tense of flail
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

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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

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
  1. flapped
  2. whipped
  3. fluttered
  4. slashed
  5. lashed
  6. flicked
  7. thrashed
  8. slapped
Verb
  • 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
  • On the touchline, MacPhee flapped his arms in frustration.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 23 June 2026
Definition of flapped
Verb
  • Arcila scored with a right-footed shot from the center of the box in the 50th, then whipped the go-ahead goal past Óscar García for his fourth goal of the tournament.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The bullet apparently whipped across the cab and struck Salgado in the stomach.
    — Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of whipped
Verb
  • All around them, guests smiled and laughed as children screamed with excitement and giggled each time a butterfly fluttered close.
    — Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Young people fluttered about, wearing custom white T-shirts emblazoned with the festival’s retro cartoon-style poster art.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Definition of fluttered
Verb
  • While the good-paying white-collar jobs in the ‘burbs are getting slashed, the substantial workforce Capital One inherited from Discover in the city of Chicago largely has been spared.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, other Western governments have slashed assistance grants and development loans to their lowest level since 2016.
    — Eghosa E. Osaghae, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of slashed
Verb
  • Earlier this month, Kennedy lashed out during an interview on CNN over vaccine and public health policies.
    — Daniel Payne, STAT, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The singer also lashed out at her parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, on social media.
    — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of lashed
Verb
  • The toads had gone rogue, consuming native frogs, birds, insects, small marsupials, even Ping-Pong balls and cigarette butts flicked toward them at pubs—almost everything except the swarms of sugarcane beetles they had been imported to feed on.
    — Kimon de Greef, Longreads, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Timo Baumgartl chipped a cross to left side, where Tomas Totland flicked a header back to Ostrak for a bending shot from the corner of the penalty area that ricocheted off the back post to open the scoring.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
Definition of flicked
Verb
  • Denis Bouanga scored two goals, Son Heung-min scored in his third consecutive match since the World Cup break, and Los Angeles FC thrashed Sporting Kansas City 4-0 on Saturday night for its fourth consecutive victory.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 July 2026
  • Denis Bouanga scored two goals, Son Heung-min scored in his third consecutive match since the World Cup break, and LAFC thrashed Sporting Kansas City 4-0 on Saturday night for its fourth consecutive victory.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of thrashed
Verb
  • Later in the series, Shah finds himself getting slapped in the face.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Slapping and/or being slapped was one of Oliver’s handful of requests for his soap opera appearance, along with playing a character with a ridiculous name, and wearing an equally ridiculous wig.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of slapped

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flailed
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Cite this Entry

“Flailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailed. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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