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
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Recent Examples of flailed
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
Williams then flailed his arms behind him and slapped Doncic in the throat.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 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
In a video that went viral on social media, the girl appeared to grip the chairlift in a desperate struggle as her feet flailed in the air, still strapped to her snowboard.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 4 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
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
Williams then flailed his arms behind him and slapped Doncic in the throat.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 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
In a video that went viral on social media, the girl appeared to grip the chairlift in a desperate struggle as her feet flailed in the air, still strapped to her snowboard.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 4 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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The jacket hugged every contour of your torso and never flapped in the wind.—
The Editors,
Outside,
18 Mar. 2026
-
As is customary for the deaths of first responders, a gigantic American flag flapped from a crane outside the morgue.—
Sam Charles,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Emery had been incessant in wanting shorter, faster balls from his deeper players, with Villa’s best opportunity of the afternoon stemming from brave passing in combination in the first half, coaxing Fulham onto them before John McGinn whipped a ball into the space behind.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Many in the room whipped out their cameras to start filming, and made the rounds to glean and share details.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Stars forward Arttu Hyry had what appeared to be a wide-open look at a tying goal in the slot, but misfired as the puck fluttered over the net.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
As Ember brushed past to turn on the lamp, one of the sheets came unstuck and fluttered out into the hallway, caught in her slight draft.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Flights to and from smaller California hubs such as Sacramento and Burbank have been canceled, while Air Canada and German airline Lufthansa slashed routes from their summer schedules earlier this month.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Governments slashed services and raised taxes to cover their massive new pension contributions.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries lashed back at Leavitt.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Leo has not lashed out, or gotten defensive, or allowed himself to be pulled down into the gutter.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Down 2-1 in the 11th minute of stoppage time, Pinnock’s pass was flicked on by Sowunmi at the near-post and nodded down by striker Marcus Dinanga for 18-year-old George Evans to score.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Earlier, Freiburg took the lead when Maximilian Eggestein flicked Matthias Ginter’s header past the goalkeeper at a corner in the 28th minute.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The video showed that during the second time, the dog latched onto Evans’ left forearm and violently thrashed as Evans cried out in pain.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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The Broncos thrashed the Carolina Panthers, turning regular season MVP Cam Newton into a Fig Newton.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Marcus Smart grabbed the ball and fired a two-handed pass to James, who bobbled it and slapped it to Luke Kennard.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
In one of the more striking examples, retail traders stampeded into Allbirds after the troubled shoemaker slapped an artificial intelligence label on its business.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailed. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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