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
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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of flail
Rachel Brodsky, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2024
Bats have flailed, balls have soared, runners have sprinted, and still…
Nobody can score off the Dodgers!
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
That might explain why the Portland-via-Fort Lauderdale post-hardcore band performs with such extemporaneous vigor on Deep Sage, thrashing and flailing in a release of anger that trades blind rage for determined revenge.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2024
The Bengals tried to crowd the box on him in Cincinnati, and Jackson threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns, keeping the Ravens in the game as their defense flailed against a red-hot Joe Burrow.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flail 
Verb
In that film, as her character Amber (spoiler alert!) heads to her comically bloody death, Madison goes from steely-faced to positively feral, unleashing guttural screeches and flailing her limbs as if possessed.
—Rachel Brodsky, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2024
Bats have flailed, balls have soared, runners have sprinted, and still…
Nobody can score off the Dodgers!
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
That might explain why the Portland-via-Fort Lauderdale post-hardcore band performs with such extemporaneous vigor on Deep Sage, thrashing and flailing in a release of anger that trades blind rage for determined revenge.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2024
The Bengals tried to crowd the box on him in Cincinnati, and Jackson threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns, keeping the Ravens in the game as their defense flailed against a red-hot Joe Burrow.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flail
Verb
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Instead, 38-year-old Calais Campbell crashed the potential victory party, with Purdy’s off-balance throw fluttering directly to Kader Kahou for an interception.Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2024
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Thompson, an Oregon transfer after the 2023 season and in the transfer portal again, fluttered a pass into the waiting hands of UF’s Trikweze Bridges.Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Gently fold 1 cup of the whipped topping into the thickened peanut butter mixture, just until combined; set aside.Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Dec. 2024
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The stars reside within the S-cluster, a group of high-speed stellar bodies that whip around Sgr A* under its immense gravitational pull.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
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This in turn opens up the music, changing it from a bludgeon to a balm.Stephen Kearse, TIME, 8 Dec. 2024
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Conservatives have had it in for Chevron deference for a long time; given their current majority on the court, the doctrine’s death has been a foregone conclusion, awaiting only the appearance of a suitable case to use as a bludgeon.Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2024
Verb
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Researchers have found tiny long-necks, trackways made by flapping raptors and more.Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Dec. 2024
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At nine o’clock, cameras cut to the Élysée Palace, its rooftop flag flapping melancholically under a pink-and-black sky.Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Yang then bemoaned how people shoot lasers at him and hide their kids.Anne McCarthy, Variety, 22 Dec. 2024
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Studying the sun's corona is extremely difficult because it is hidden by light from the star's surface, according to NASA.Chandelis Duster, NPR, 21 Dec. 2024
Noun
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But what began as a protection to limit the amount of their income a tenant would spend on housing has warped into a cudgel for landlords.Clio Chang, Curbed, 12 Dec. 2024
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Access to those dollars has become more of a political cudgel recently, as lawmakers in Washington have ratcheted up their scrutiny of universities.Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 26 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Indeed, the newsroom staff was slashed in half within just a few years.Shelby Grad, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
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Zibanejad saw his ice time slashed against St. Louis, and Kakko watched from the press box.Peter Baugh, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Hard freezes, ice, and snow will damage or break canes, making plants more susceptible to pests and disease.Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 18 Dec. 2024
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The age this particular persona is supposed to represent remains ambiguous in the scene, but the Jackal uses a cane and maintains a sense of frailty in his body, both of which contribute to another visual iteration of geriatric Redmayne.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 28 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near flail
Cite this Entry
“Flail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flail. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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