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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flail
CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
The force was enough to send Romero flailing to the turf, bringing out a yellow card.
—Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
Who this kind of testing is really for Exceptional online testing isn’t restricted to jittery grade-schoolers flailing in traditional classrooms.
—Lucy Jones
april 11, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
Since then, the basketball program has grown from a flailing handcar to the little engine that could to a freight train.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flail
Verb
On an odd-man rush, New Jersey's Jesper Bratt scored the go-ahead goal for his second score of the game from the left circle off a perfect pass from Jack Hughes as John Gibson flailed around in an attempt to stop the puck.
—CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
The force was enough to send Romero flailing to the turf, bringing out a yellow card.
—Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
Who this kind of testing is really for Exceptional online testing isn’t restricted to jittery grade-schoolers flailing in traditional classrooms.
—Lucy Jones
april 11, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
Since then, the basketball program has grown from a flailing handcar to the little engine that could to a freight train.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flail
Verb
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The adult moths are attracted to light and will flutter around in the kitchen after sunset looking for a mate.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Kick your legs in small up-and-down fluttering motions while keeping your lower back flat and abs tight throughout.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Read on to discover what the chefs will be whipping us this year at Culinary Masters.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
24 Apr. 2026
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In a video obtained by WBZ, Nguyen can be seen sitting on the side of the mountain as the wind whipped around him.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Iran practices honest bludgeon work.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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Smaller birds darted around, their small wings flapping rapidly.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Apr. 2026
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Its interior slit pocket fits any phone size up to an iPhone 16 Pro Max, and its gold hardware clasp and flap top keep belongings secure while on the go.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The rookie center fielder didn’t bother to hide his delight, jumping and shouting in celebration.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Carie Hallford was sentenced to 30 years for her role in a scheme that involved hiding nearly 200 decomposing bodies.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Brown suffered cuts and a black eye in addition to leg injures that resulted in permanent scarring and requires him to walk with a cane, his lawyers say.—
Sheetal Banchariya,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
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Dancer Jessica Rabanzo-Flores, dressed in a brown suit jacket and representing McCullers, approached the stage with a cane before joining company dancers who performed the gravity-defying balancing acts that reflect Malashock’s choreographic style.—
Marcia Luttrell,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The market — deliberately not referred to as a pantry to slash stigmas around emergency food — opened in February through a partnership between City Colleges of Chicago and the Greater Chicago Food Depository.—
Zareen Syed,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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On April 29, TSA told USA TODAY that more than 1,100 personnel have left the agency since a partial government shutdown slashed its funding more than two months ago.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The three main mayoral candidates seem to have finally prioritized the problem, or at least understand its value as a cudgel against each other.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Apr. 2026
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The ostensible fear is that of identity hardening into a cudgel, foreshortening a character’s emotional palette.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flail. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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