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
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2
as in whipping
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
gruesome evidence that the prisoner had been flailed
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in flapping
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of flailing
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
In its anguished flailing, the memoir managed to burn bridges with his father, brother, and stepmother overnight.
—Alexander Larman, Time, 10 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
Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
The New York Jets are flailing, still trying to crack the seal for their first win of 2025.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
According to the Money Doctor, the administration’s interest in a plan that would substitute the dollar for the flailing Argentine peso has greatly intensified in recent weeks as Milei’s political fortunes have weakened.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
The film’s abundant humor and humanity are both rooted in DiCaprio’s ability to contain both of those people at once — to span the distance between those opposite shores while flailing towards each of them with equal desperation.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2025
The Red Sox continue to get help from the flailing Houston Astros, who lost 6-0 to the Athletics late Wednesday night for the club’s fifth straight loss.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
And, back at home, his FBI director, Kash Patel was flailing in a pair of congressional hearings this week when asked about Epstein.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Weeks 3 and 4, when Denver was flailing.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
But as the public struggled to make sense of the event, media organizations were flailing too.
—Taylor Lorenz, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
In its anguished flailing, the memoir managed to burn bridges with his father, brother, and stepmother overnight.
—Alexander Larman, Time, 10 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
Noun
This was no ordinary offense that the Dodgers left flailing.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
The New York Jets are flailing, still trying to crack the seal for their first win of 2025.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
According to the Money Doctor, the administration’s interest in a plan that would substitute the dollar for the flailing Argentine peso has greatly intensified in recent weeks as Milei’s political fortunes have weakened.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
The film’s abundant humor and humanity are both rooted in DiCaprio’s ability to contain both of those people at once — to span the distance between those opposite shores while flailing towards each of them with equal desperation.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2025
The Red Sox continue to get help from the flailing Houston Astros, who lost 6-0 to the Athletics late Wednesday night for the club’s fifth straight loss.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
And, back at home, his FBI director, Kash Patel was flailing in a pair of congressional hearings this week when asked about Epstein.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Weeks 3 and 4, when Denver was flailing.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
But as the public struggled to make sense of the event, media organizations were flailing too.
—Taylor Lorenz, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flailing
Verb
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But its appeal can’t be divorced from the romance of its history, which properly began in the 19th century when English polo players began wearing oxford shirts as their preferred uniform, complete with collars that buttoned against the body to prevent their points from flapping in the wind.—
Eric Twardzik,
Robb Report,
6 Oct. 2025
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Above it all, flapping in the wind, there’s the stars and stripes, that latecomer flag to native nations.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In one short, a young Stuckmann, dressed as Harrison Ford's lasso-whipping adventurer, jumps onto the back of a moving car.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
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Mash as desired, either with a potato masher or by whipping with an electric mixer.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
-
The Bolas spider creates a silk lasso to catch fluttering moths.—
Kate Siber,
Outside,
21 Oct. 2025
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On my most recent visit—December 2024—the foliage was just past its peak, with some bare trees and lots of fluttering yellow leaves.—
Taryn Shorr-Mckee,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The small black dog slipped away from its owners and ended up hiding under a northbound 2 train at the 14th Street station Thursday.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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The episode ends with Matty officially agreeing to work with Olympia to save Julian and bury Senior, though Matty has some demands, including wanting Julian — once all the dust has settled — to apologize for hiding the document.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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Some of this slashing and burning can be explained by the old-fashioned small-government fanaticism of administration personnel like Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.—
Michelle Goldberg,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
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Insurers are slashing networks, hiking deductibles, and pulling out of entire counties.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Patients first experience twitching or weakness in a limb, often followed by slurred speech.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailing. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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