as in flapping
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1
as in fluttering
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
2
as in whipping
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 flailing
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Morant appears to be at odds with Memphis brass, and has already been suspended by his own flailing team once this season for appearing to question his head coach.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Cernan, the junior pilot, was outside, dangling—actually spinning, tumbling, and flailing—at the end of a long umbilical cord, completely unable to control his movements.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Nov. 2025
Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon called a timeout with five seconds remaining and Jackie Young flailing — wanting to ensure that the Aces got the final shot of the game — and Hammon put the ball in her MVP’s hands.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Clark, who knelt beside Foo 30 years ago when the surfer was pulled lifeless from the sea, watched Slebir’s epic ride that day from the back of a Sea-Doo, set up to pull flailing surfers aboard.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
On the ground in Wedgewood Houston, a tiny bird fought an army of enclosing fire ants, wildly kicking and flailing.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Sep. 2025
The last one, right below the zone, had Crow-Armstrong flailing to end the frame.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
On Netflix Summer 2026 | Comedy A forty-year-old executive hopes to save his flailing career by joining a group of twenty-somethings on a wild three-day bachelor party, after he’s inadvertently added to their group text.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
And that left Buzelis as the sole spark for a flailing Bulls team.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
But from a professional standpoint, Ross is flailing and failing.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
The Fed is widely expected to hold rates steady until the middle of 2026 in order to support a flailing labor market.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025
Steering a flailing economy, presiding over Central America's highest homicide rate, and tolerating corruption in her own ranks Her party’s candidate, once the front-runner, trails in a distant third at 19 percent.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
His son, Seth (Will Price), has been flailing since Ron’s attention drifted, and his daughter Natalie’s (Sophia Lillis) relationship is suddenly in trouble now, too.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Nov. 2025
The Lions are the new standard in the division, and the Vikings suddenly have the feel of an organization that is flailing a bit.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2025
Noun
And so too is his slightly flailing, vaguely desperate, going-for-it run, typified by his hair falling out of place and the sense that this man is fundamentally, for all his money and celebrity, some guy trying to get from one place to another.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Morant appears to be at odds with Memphis brass, and has already been suspended by his own flailing team once this season for appearing to question his head coach.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Cernan, the junior pilot, was outside, dangling—actually spinning, tumbling, and flailing—at the end of a long umbilical cord, completely unable to control his movements.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Nov. 2025
Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon called a timeout with five seconds remaining and Jackie Young flailing — wanting to ensure that the Aces got the final shot of the game — and Hammon put the ball in her MVP’s hands.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Clark, who knelt beside Foo 30 years ago when the surfer was pulled lifeless from the sea, watched Slebir’s epic ride that day from the back of a Sea-Doo, set up to pull flailing surfers aboard.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
On the ground in Wedgewood Houston, a tiny bird fought an army of enclosing fire ants, wildly kicking and flailing.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Sep. 2025
The last one, right below the zone, had Crow-Armstrong flailing to end the frame.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
Stephen Ross, the Miami Dolphins’ majority owner since 2009, is now looking for his eighth different head coach in a parade of floundering, flailing and failing.
—Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
On Netflix Summer 2026 | Comedy A forty-year-old executive hopes to save his flailing career by joining a group of twenty-somethings on a wild three-day bachelor party, after he’s inadvertently added to their group text.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
And that left Buzelis as the sole spark for a flailing Bulls team.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
But from a professional standpoint, Ross is flailing and failing.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
The Fed is widely expected to hold rates steady until the middle of 2026 in order to support a flailing labor market.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025
Steering a flailing economy, presiding over Central America's highest homicide rate, and tolerating corruption in her own ranks Her party’s candidate, once the front-runner, trails in a distant third at 19 percent.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
His son, Seth (Will Price), has been flailing since Ron’s attention drifted, and his daughter Natalie’s (Sophia Lillis) relationship is suddenly in trouble now, too.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Nov. 2025
The Lions are the new standard in the division, and the Vikings suddenly have the feel of an organization that is flailing a bit.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flailing
Noun
-
For insect-sized robots, the weight of a battery powerful enough to sustain continuous flapping often exceeds the robot’s own lifting capacity.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The man whom Navarro likes to call the Boss seems to value insincere, or bought, obeisance—the flapping and fussing of a maître d’—more than heartfelt fandom, which lacks the piquancy of humiliation.—
Ian Parker,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Consisting of wispy layers that create soft movement, akin to fluttering butterfly wings, the cut is a popular option for cascading long lengths.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Soft amber light illuminates gold jewelry, glossy lips, and brightly fabrics fluttering in the ocean breeze.—
PhotoVogue,
Vogue,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The cold weather shouldn’t be a huge factor unless the wind starts whipping.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The wind was whipping throughout Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, that day, which had a massive impact on the kicking game.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Males and females both wave their legs and the waving was not related to courtship or competition.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Gallery Wall Wood Frame Set If your resolution includes finally framing photos that have been hiding in your phone for months, this set is a must.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The leader of the country was hiding for twelve days.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Throughout the writhing and the screaming, Julia’s fortitude wears down a defiant Davina, whose history with Lovat feeds the moment.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Cut spending by slashing state programs?—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Jan. 2026
-
These include terminating or suspending contracts with private providers and slashing supplemental aid previously available to foster families.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Patients first experience twitching or weakness in a limb, as Decker did.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
16 Dec. 2025
-
The more serious side effects of caffeine overdose include trouble breathing, sudden high blood pressure, muscle twitching, confusion, vomiting and seizures.—
News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailing. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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