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
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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
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Recent Examples of flailing
José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 4 Mar. 2026
Somatic shaking involves a few minutes of fast, energetic movement like jumping, arm flailing, and foot stomping.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Not only are customers being driven mad by the bots getting orders completely wrong, but even some company executives are also being worn down by the flailing effort.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 26 Feb. 2026
But even if part of the point is to show that healing doesn’t happen overnight, the catharsis is too vague to reward all the flailing distress.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
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
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
In these latest cuts, some of the other firings were in sales, recruiting, and Facebook, signaling that Zuckerberg is separating the chaff in non-AI related units beyond its flailing Metaverse division.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
Sure, the Bulls should shut down players such as Jalen Smith and Tre Jones — winners who can prop up the rest of the flailing offense against a truly tanking team — for the rest of the season.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
After flailing for more than 11 strokes lost tee-to-green across two days in Orlando, Thomas gained shots on the field with his driver and irons Thursday.
—Justin Ray, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s reimagining of the Bride of Frankenstein story is flailing.
—ABC News, 8 Mar. 2026
Drawing on new interviews with Bowie’s collaborators and associates, as well as archival material, Larman offers a touching, detailed portrait of a gifted artist losing his bearings, flailing about, and re-inventing himself.
—George Kalogerakis, Air Mail, 28 Feb. 2026
Only Byrne’s flashes of humor and desperately flailing humanity keep her on this side of monstrous.
—Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Dropping off signatures is a way to highlight a candidate's support and can weed out flailing campaigns from serious ones.
—Stacey Barchenger, AZCentral.com, 23 Feb. 2026
Noun
But his role was not to fix a flailing business, but, rather, to keep a roaring flame alive.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 4 Mar. 2026
Somatic shaking involves a few minutes of fast, energetic movement like jumping, arm flailing, and foot stomping.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Not only are customers being driven mad by the bots getting orders completely wrong, but even some company executives are also being worn down by the flailing effort.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 26 Feb. 2026
But even if part of the point is to show that healing doesn’t happen overnight, the catharsis is too vague to reward all the flailing distress.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
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
Verb
None of it means that much to Aleida, who, like Kelly, is quietly flailing a bit.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
In these latest cuts, some of the other firings were in sales, recruiting, and Facebook, signaling that Zuckerberg is separating the chaff in non-AI related units beyond its flailing Metaverse division.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
Sure, the Bulls should shut down players such as Jalen Smith and Tre Jones — winners who can prop up the rest of the flailing offense against a truly tanking team — for the rest of the season.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
After flailing for more than 11 strokes lost tee-to-green across two days in Orlando, Thomas gained shots on the field with his driver and irons Thursday.
—Justin Ray, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s reimagining of the Bride of Frankenstein story is flailing.
—ABC News, 8 Mar. 2026
Drawing on new interviews with Bowie’s collaborators and associates, as well as archival material, Larman offers a touching, detailed portrait of a gifted artist losing his bearings, flailing about, and re-inventing himself.
—George Kalogerakis, Air Mail, 28 Feb. 2026
Only Byrne’s flashes of humor and desperately flailing humanity keep her on this side of monstrous.
—Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Dropping off signatures is a way to highlight a candidate's support and can weed out flailing campaigns from serious ones.
—Stacey Barchenger, AZCentral.com, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flailing
Noun
-
Somatic shaking can look a little different from one person to the next, but usually involves a few minutes of wildly uncoordinated jumping, arm flapping, and foot stomping.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The doll also was given articulated elbows and wrists to acknowledge stimming, hand flapping and other gestures that some autistic people use to process sensory information or to express excitement, according to Mattel.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
October marks the start of butterfly season, with vibrant swarms fluttering well into the green season.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The sudden movement sends the birds fluttering away from you, to watch and wait.—
Addie Citchens,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Like Apollo 13, Artemis II will take advantage of the moon’s and Earth’s gravity, making a figure 8 after whipping around the moon to head home in what’s known as a free-return trajectory requiring little if any fuel.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Like Apollo 13, Artemis II will take advantage of the moon and Earth’s gravity, making a figure eight after whipping around the moon to head home in what’s known as a free-return trajectory requiring little if any fuel.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But the flag-waving takes on a different meaning in his tweet, making Sosa part of the propaganda machine.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The flag-waving, the face paint, the pugnacious songs, the banners, the bellicose taunts at the opponents, the arms flung out in unison foster a collective spirit that can turn violent at times.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
For example, replacing a child’s dropped ice cream cone or lost balloon, hiding small treats where others can find them.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
26 Mar. 2026
-
These mushrooms are notorious for hiding just underneath the surface.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
25 Mar. 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
-
Attributing the budget-slashing move to an overall decrease in enrollment caused by fluctuating demographics, restrictions on international students and skyrocketing tuition costs, the New School is becoming part of a trend across higher education.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Warsh has committed to slashing the Fed's balance sheet.—
Steve Liesman,Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
During this phase, octopuses display visible twitching along with rapid changes in skin color and texture, per NPR.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Gosnell did not testify at his 2013 trial, but his defense attorney argued that none of the fetuses were born alive and that any movements were posthumous twitching or spasms, according to the AP.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailing. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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