1
as in flutters
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 whips
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
gruesome evidence that the prisoner had been flailed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flails
Jennifer Maas, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Premiums are poised to rise next year as the party flails on whether to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 16 Dec. 2025
The 16-year-old flails her arms, thrashes and kicks — sometimes for hours.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
Verb
As Frances ascends in the art world, Avery flails financially and emotionally — and the nationwide Adderall shortage isn’t helping.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Premiums are poised to rise next year as the party flails on whether to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 16 Dec. 2025
The 16-year-old flails her arms, thrashes and kicks — sometimes for hours.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flails
Verb
-
Iran’s flag before the 1979 revolution — green, white and red with a lion and a rising sun — flutters from many overhangs.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel (center) flutters a Venezuelan and Cuban national flags in support of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Havana.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nikki Glaser whips out her silver sparkly bag for the Night of Too Many Stars event presented by Netflix Is a Joke in Los Angeles on May 7.—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
-
The ride travels on an elliptical track and whips riders around bends.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Noun
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There’s Xi Jinping mogging Bibi Netanyahu while deafeningly aggro phonk bludgeons away; hype montages paint Marx as history’s greatest theorist and pair Zohran Mamdani quotes with Playboi Carti Die Lit cuts.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The structure flaps its wings when powered by electricity.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
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View gallery - 7 images A wooden dragon sculpture that gently flaps its wings has become a crowd-funding hit, but after seeing the traditional handcrafted work that's been put into every single model, making each one unique, the value of such a piece becomes strikingly clear.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Two-year-old Mala Audio Bar sets its cocktails to the crackle of vintage vinyl, while Konbini hides behind a grocery storefront, opening into a Colombian-Japanese speakeasy where disco and highballs collide amid a beautiful crowd.—
Allie Lazar,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
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More than 2,500 shoppers have given it a perfect rating, and reviewers appreciate that the lightweight formula hides dark circles — without settling into fine lines.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Noun
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Botrytis can also cause large, discolored patches on canes.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
To rejuvenate these shrubs, cut three of the thickest canes all the way back to the ground in spring.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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SpaceX's Starlink is rolling out a new deal that slashes the monthly price of the satellite internet service in the US by $21.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
5 May 2026
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Earlier in the film, Kenobi slashes off the arm of a creature who was known then as Walrus Man and is known now as Ponda Baba.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
Noun
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There used to be physical-comedy genius; there used to be simple, aspirational concepts; there used to be a passing of batons between past stars onto the next generation of them.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
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Hostetter hadn’t always seemed like the type to storm the Capitol armed with hatchets and stun batons.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flails. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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