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
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
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
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
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
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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Dig your toes in the sand while sipping a mai tai and munching on the restaurant’s famous Bimini Bread with Aruba Glaze and whipped honey butter.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
17 June 2026
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Adding ricotta and whipped egg white to the batter creates pancakes that are exceptionally light and tender.—
Carole Kotkin,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Dozens of butterflies, likely variable checkerspots with hints of yellow and red on their wings, fluttered all around.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
Cars honked their horns and cyclists pulled over to tune in as flags fluttered in the wind, fans clambered to see the screen, and people hugged and shouted.—
Anna Grace Lee,
Vogue,
17 June 2026
Verb
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But bad news continued as a leading ratings agency slashed its outlook for BMW to negative from stable, as analysts wondered if the German manufacturing base might be under threat.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
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Governor Kathy Hochul separately slashed the Manhattan shuttle-bus fare from $80 to $20, meaning two of the most powerful governors in the country spent the spring competing to subsidize FIFA, a private organization.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Trump lashed out at Ossoff in his Truth Social post on June 14.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
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The billionaire venture capitalist and Sun Microsystems cofounder lashed out on X at student protesters who walked out of Stanford’s 135th commencement ceremony while Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai was delivering the keynote address.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Much like the Snicko technology used in cricket, broadcasters could even show a graphic illustrating the precise moment that Isak had flicked the ball on.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
15 June 2026
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The next batter in Grahm Hutton flicked a chopper to third base and Harrington went on contact.—
Tim Crowley,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
Verb
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The 54-year-old, who had only been in charge since January, watched on as his side was thrashed 5-1 by Sweden.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
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Not Taylor Swift, not Timothée Chalamet, not any of the Wall Street masters of the universe and the Big Law partners and the Hollywood celebrities who thrashed violently in their seats when OG Anunoby came flying in as a deliverance — his fingertips seemingly sent from heaven.—
Mike Vorkunov,
New York Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Aranda slapped an outside changeup on a line down the leftfield line, and the ball struck the screen on the fair side of foul pole for a three-run homer.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 June 2026
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The Days of Our Lives actress slapped Today show anchor Craig Melvin mid-interview.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailed. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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