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
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Apr. 2026
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
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
The chaos allows a Triarchy ship to harpoon Jace's dragon, Vermax, dragging the flailing creature down into the ocean, along with Rhaenyra's heir.
—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 June 2026
Reese and the Dream played Indiana on Thursday as well, where Reese was caught mocking Clark by flailing around during the stoppage in play.
—
Jon Root Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2026
Quenton Jackson, Indiana (PG) Jackson is at a different stage than most players on this list, entering his age-28 season after a solid 49-game 2025-26 season for the flailing Pacers.
—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
But at the last second, Pages pulled up to let Tucker make the catch, and Tucker hesitated before flailing after it.
—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
As the two bond in short order, our previously flailing hero shapes up very quickly indeed, soon shedding his substance abuse problems and entering a healthy relationship with dreamy social worker Oscar (Diego Calva).
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 May 2026
On The Comeback, the flailing sitcom actress Valerie Cherish (played by Lisa Kudrow) is accustomed to sacrificing her dignity for the spotlight.
—
Caroline Framke,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Colorado spent six innings flailing away against Skenes before Mickey Moniak's sinking line-drive single to left-center with one out in the seventh.
—
CBS News,
13 May 2026
Noun
For all his bobbing and flailing, and sensitive shaping of the music, conductor Christian Capocaccia evinced little attention to singers.
—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
Their final side battle was ferocious and flailing.
—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
The chaos allows a Triarchy ship to harpoon Jace's dragon, Vermax, dragging the flailing creature down into the ocean, along with Rhaenyra's heir.
—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 June 2026
Reese and the Dream played Indiana on Thursday as well, where Reese was caught mocking Clark by flailing around during the stoppage in play.
—
Jon Root Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2026
Quenton Jackson, Indiana (PG) Jackson is at a different stage than most players on this list, entering his age-28 season after a solid 49-game 2025-26 season for the flailing Pacers.
—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
But at the last second, Pages pulled up to let Tucker make the catch, and Tucker hesitated before flailing after it.
—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
As the two bond in short order, our previously flailing hero shapes up very quickly indeed, soon shedding his substance abuse problems and entering a healthy relationship with dreamy social worker Oscar (Diego Calva).
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 May 2026
On The Comeback, the flailing sitcom actress Valerie Cherish (played by Lisa Kudrow) is accustomed to sacrificing her dignity for the spotlight.
—
Caroline Framke,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Colorado spent six innings flailing away against Skenes before Mickey Moniak's sinking line-drive single to left-center with one out in the seventh.
—
CBS News,
13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flailing
Noun
-
Nearly two months old, the birds spend much of their days hopping, flapping, stomping and testing out their wings, a recent Facebook post from Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that operates their live cam, says.
-
With the skin flapping, his words, not mine, the medical staff went full MacGyver on Buckberger.
Verb
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In Second Nature, scientists theorize that Darwin couldn’t help but impose his own heterosexual ideations on animal reproduction, mainly that animals only copulate for the purposes of reproduction, with males being the aggressors and females fluttering their eyelids behind lace fans, or something.
-
Twice during the game at the Lincoln Financial Field, the Brazil fans unfurled a fluttering banner celebrating five icons of five World Cup-winning teams; Didi, Garrincha, Pele, Romario and Ronaldo.
Verb
-
Ospreay struck Strickland, who responded by whipping a chain at him.
-
Vargas is accused of repeatedly whipping the cab’s hood with a belt, denting it, cops said.
Noun
-
Egypt has arrested and prosecuted gays and lesbians on the basis of vague indecency laws and has cracked down on any outward expressions of Pride, especially the waving of rainbow flags.
-
With his own future still unconfirmed, Guardiola could be seen pumping his fists in celebration when Rayan Cherki slipped in the third goal and, after the final whistle, there was a victory walk around the pitch and a lot of affectionate waving and kiss-blowing.
Verb
-
Police officers responding to Leslie Martin’s call and separate reports of a break-in found Doug Martin hiding in a neighbor’s home.
-
The film is a modern take on the creature horror film told from the perspective of a young boy who slowly begins to discover that his beloved parents are hiding a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature.
Noun
-
Throughout the writhing and the screaming, Julia’s fortitude wears down a defiant Davina, whose history with Lovat feeds the moment.
Verb
-
Top brands are slashing prices on laptops and tablets, with discounts on favorites like Apple AirTags.
-
While the marketplace’s official sale starts on June 23, some brands are already slashing prices, including Avidlove.
Noun
-
Casting near banks and using a twitching technique can increase success during the hatch.
-
During this phase, octopuses display visible twitching along with rapid changes in skin color and texture, per NPR.
Cite this Entry
“Flailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailing. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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