1
as in to flutter
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 to whip
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
gruesome evidence that the prisoner had been flailed
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flail
Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Milwaukee is absolutely flailing, as Doc Rivers teams do when the end is near.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, after spending billions of dollars to hire AI experts last summer, Meta appears to be flailing in its efforts to produce new models out of the company’s new Superintelligence Labs.
—Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
But this time there also are tangible targets for the Heat and the rest of the league, with Ja Morant’s contretemps with the Memphis Grizzlies, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s flailing supporting cast with the Milwaukee Bucks and Anthony Davis’ likely parting from the Dallas Mavericks.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flail
Verb
The room sighs in relief a second later when Buckley reanimates, jerking and flailing like a soul possessed, grinning maniacally — all on purpose, inspired by the earlier veil snafu.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Milwaukee is absolutely flailing, as Doc Rivers teams do when the end is near.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, after spending billions of dollars to hire AI experts last summer, Meta appears to be flailing in its efforts to produce new models out of the company’s new Superintelligence Labs.
—Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
But this time there also are tangible targets for the Heat and the rest of the league, with Ja Morant’s contretemps with the Memphis Grizzlies, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s flailing supporting cast with the Milwaukee Bucks and Anthony Davis’ likely parting from the Dallas Mavericks.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flail
Verb
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The hand in motion, the fluttering scarf, the sparkling outfit.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
9 Feb. 2026
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As the early swooning over Newsom suggests, some voters’ hearts are fluttering over the prospect of his candidacy.—
Bret Stephens,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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It’s inspired by a French silk pie, but without any eggs to whip.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
12 Feb. 2026
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For season 1 of The Boss, InStyle Editor in Chief Sally Holmes taps Julia Fox (Uncut Gems, Him, The Moment) as the Temporary-Permanent Ambassador of Slayage in an effort to whip the InStyle team’s style into shape ahead of New York Fashion Week.—
InStyle Editors,
InStyle,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But Beshear hasn’t turned Trump-bashing into a 24/7 vocation, or a weight-lifting contest where the winner is the critic wielding the heaviest bludgeon.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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With the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other instruments of force as his bludgeon, Khamenei has chosen bloodshed over conciliation.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Longtime collaborator Alex Lockett returns to direct the clip, an upstairs/downstairs concept which follows Antonoff on struggle street, stumbling into randoms and flapping about in the rain.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
11 Feb. 2026
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The accompanying illustration shows a terrified boy running from a sky full of books flapping their pages like Hitchcockian birds.—
Richard Sandomir,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Police also found marijuana in a backpack, and one of the suspects tried to conceal his weapon by taking it out of his waistband and hiding it under the car seat, the release states.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Feb. 2026
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That's why the Club digs into a level of detail others might want to hide.—
,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Here, a neutral palette, cane furniture, and botanical textiles lend the accommodation a cozy, comfortable feel.—
Flora Stubbs,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
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Fall-fruiting raspberries fruit on canes that grew in the current season (primocanes), whereas summer-bearing raspberries only develop fruit on second-year canes (floricanes).—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Just as the trial for Samuel Patrick Groft was about to kick off, the 45-year-old instead pleaded no contest Wednesday to a slew of vandalism charges stemming from the seven-day slashing rampage.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
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And boosting, not slashing, anti-hunger programs.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Voices on the British Right have used the scandal as a cudgel against Labour and Starmer in particular.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Feb. 2026
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In the move to obliterate diversity, equity and inclusion, one word — merit — has stood out as an effective cudgel.—
Kenji Yoshino,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flail. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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