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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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
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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
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The jacket hugged every contour of your torso and never flapped in the wind.—
The Editors,
Outside,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Carolina was in a state of disarray in the third, and after going on a power play, Sebastian Aho slashed Marner, who was headed to the net on a short-handed breakaway.—
Matt Reigle,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
-
Sumner barely escaped death; his head and shoulders were slashed to the bone.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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This time, Valdano had flicked on a long pass, Maradona and Fenwick were again chasing the second ball, and Fenwick jumped and threw out an elbow into Maradona’s face.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
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The teen prodigy flicked the ball over a Swedish defender and volleyed home to give his team a 3–1 lead in the 55th minute of the match.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The four-time World Cup winners have won eight straight matches dating back to September 2025 and just thrashed Finland 4-0 last weekend.—
Tom Bogert,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
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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
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Rojas slapped a single up the middle to put the Royals ahead.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
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According to the affidavit, another pupil was allegedly slapped in the face three times.—
Ben Brachfeld,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailed. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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