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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flailed
Verb
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Verona almost won it in stoppage time but Kieron Bowie couldn’t keep his attempt on target after Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret flapped aimlessly at a cross.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
But Chelsea — and Garnacho — responded again, the Argentina international reducing the arrears again after some Kepa had flapped at a cross.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The puck went to Clarke, who adjusted his angle and whipped a shot through a Corey Perry screen.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
So everyone whipped out their phones at the table, which is a very rude thing to do, but in an emergency—in a Hollywood emergency—it was allowed.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As his hair fluttered in the jet stream created by his flight path, three of his Minnesota Timberwolves teammates were left in his dust.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Her eyes fluttered open then closed.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In one incident in 2010, his throat was slashed by another inmate.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin lost his cool during the second period of the team’s 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena, and slashed Rasmus Dahlin across the face.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Maza drew in Hamburg players before flicking the ball on for Kofane, who lashed it into the top-left corner.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Most recently, the White Stripes rocker lashed out after Trump posted a since‑deleted video on his official Truth Social account depicting Michelle and Barack Obama as apes.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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From the opening kick-off, Dewsbury-Hall had flicked the ball up and volleyed it high downfield, forcing Burnley defender Joe Worrall into an early clearance.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Carranza flicked on a header for an assist Jason Jason Moreno chipped the goalkeeper to finish the play.—
NWA Democrat-Gazette,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Thursday before that, they were thrashed 4-0 at Atletico Madrid in their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg — a defeat that prompted significant self-criticism and reflection on their style of play.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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The Patriots leaned on Los Angeles offensively and thrashed them on defense, circling Justin Herbert in the first half before swarming him for four sacks in the second.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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From there, Grahovac slapped a base hit past the third baseman to drive Sorrell home.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
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South Africa last year said the US had applied pressure on Pretoria to end laws aimed at redressing wealth imbalances caused by apartheid, and Washington later slapped a 30% tariff on many South African exports — the highest on the continent.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailed. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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