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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flailed
Kickboxing robots flailed wildly before falling over, and some sprinters crashed into rivals.
—
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2025
On Sunday, Merrill flailed at two sliders in the dirt from Tyler Glasnow before looking at a third down the middle for strike three to strand a runner in the first inning.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2025
On Sunday, Merrill flailed at two sliders in the dirt from Tyler Glasnow before looking at a third down the middle for strike three to strand a runner in the first inning.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flailed
Verb
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Moytoy flapped his lips fast like an engine.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Aug. 2025
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Cunha, sitting on the turf, flapped his arms when Mbeumo failed to follow in for a tap-in.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The actress whipped out some ballerina dance moves to ensure each pair was still comfortable enough for any and all activities.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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This mordant delight — about two young men who befriend one another in a support group for people who’ve lost a twin — whipped the Eccles theater into a frenzy with its cuttingly dark laughs and unexpected plot twists.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the Lower West Side of Chicago, music blared and green, white and red flags fluttered down the streets of the predominantly Latino Pilsen neighborhood on Saturday as crowds gathered for the start of Mexican Independence Day celebrations.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
7 Sep. 2025
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Their tops and Tate’s hair fluttered in the breeze of a wind machine absurdly cranked up to Stage 4 hurricane levels.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Programs targeting infant mortality, youth violence, smoking, maternal and child health, mental health, obesity, lead poisoning and infectious disease tracking have been slashed.—
Stan Chu Ilo,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
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Six people were shot and one other was slashed in four separate incidents on or near Eastern Parkway within a two-hour span as the crowds were dispersing after the parade, the New York Police Department (NYPD) told media.—
Robert Birsel
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These two hurricanes come after Hurricane Erin lashed North Carolina's Outer Banks with rough waves and coastal flooding last month.—
Kenton Gewecke,
ABC News,
4 Sep. 2025
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Some liberal commentators, however, have lashed out in response to the shooting, saying calls for prayer are tone deaf responses given the victims were inside a church.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Osaka said her fighting victory over Liudmila Samsonova in Montreal flicked a switch that lit the spark.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Sporting took the lead early thanks to Joveljic’s 15th goal of the 2025 season, a header flicked in at the near post.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Back in April, Villa thrashed Newcastle 4-1.—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
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Their goggles are already thrashed, and a solid pair of gogs like these Smith Squad Mags will be a major come-up for their winter kit.—
Drew Zieff,
Outside Online,
20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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During the stream, Kardashian tagged along for Cenat's noodle game — basically, a challenge where the influencer and his friends take turns hitting each other on the head with pool noodles while participants wear helmets and don't know which of their peers slapped them from behind.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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The tariffs affected by Friday’s ruling were implemented by Trump this year under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and slapped duties as high as 50% on imports from some countries.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailed. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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