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
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
Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 31 May 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
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.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
The Wild turned a corner scrum on the Avs’ side of the ice into a loose puck in front of Wedgie’s crease, and Minnesota’s Marcus Johansson slipped it past the Avs’ flailing netminder to trim the deficit to 3-1.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 May 2026
While fans had long been advocating for Bravo to recruit Hubbard to save a flailing RHONY, the network instead is launching a Valley-esque spinoff led by Hubbard, Kyle Cook, and Amanda Batula called In the City.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 4 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
With his country flailing in their pitiful attempts to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, at the age of 33, Zidane underwent his change of heart.
—Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 31 May 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
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.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
The Wild turned a corner scrum on the Avs’ side of the ice into a loose puck in front of Wedgie’s crease, and Minnesota’s Marcus Johansson slipped it past the Avs’ flailing netminder to trim the deficit to 3-1.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 May 2026
While fans had long been advocating for Bravo to recruit Hubbard to save a flailing RHONY, the network instead is launching a Valley-esque spinoff led by Hubbard, Kyle Cook, and Amanda Batula called In the City.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flailing
Noun
-
With the skin flapping, his words, not mine, the medical staff went full MacGyver on Buckberger.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
13 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Video showed the Israeli flag fluttering from atop the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle while black smoke billowed from the nearby town of Arnoun.—
Greg Myre,
NPR,
31 May 2026
-
Anderson said the warmth helps calm them down stops their eyes from fluttering.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Throughout the record, the image of Petras’ life in freefall recurs, giving the record a sense of hair-whipping freedom and heart-stopping urgency.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 June 2026
-
In baseball news, Screencaps the III got his very first legitimate hit of the season by lacing one over the second baseman's head last night with winds whipping 20-25 mph off Lake Erie.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
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.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
-
It also has been roiled by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, stirring protests outside the venues and forcing organizers to clamp down on political flag-waving.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If that bottle hiding in the back of your bar cart is dusty and doesn't taste the same, buy a fresh one.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
-
If agreements, planning decisions or delays are hiding behind NDAs, the committee will demand answers.—
Quil Lawrence,
NPR,
28 May 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
-
The man then raised up the stick and struck the church-going victim in the head before slashing her neck.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
2 June 2026
-
The energy regulator signed off on the preferential electricity tariff for Glencore’s local venture and Samancor Chrome, slashing power prices by over 50% from the standard baseline.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Casting near banks and using a twitching technique can increase success during the hatch.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Flailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailing. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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