flail

1 of 2

noun

ˈflāl 

: a hand threshing implement consisting of a wooden handle at the end of which a stouter and shorter stick is so hung as to swing freely

flail

2 of 2

verb

flailed; flailing; flails

transitive verb

1

a

: to strike with or as if with a flail

The bird's wings flailed the water.

b

: to move, swing, or beat as if wielding a flail

flailing a club to drive away the insects

2

: to thresh (grain) with a flail

intransitive verb

: to move, swing, or beat like a flail

arms flailing in the water

Synonyms

Verb

• beat
• flap
• flop
• flutter
• whip

Examples of flail in a Sentence

Verb

They were flailing their arms to drive away the insects.

The wounded animal lay on the ground, flailing helplessly.

He was wildly flailing about on the dance floor.

The bird's wings flailed the water.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The previous movie in the series, The Exorcist: Believer, flailed with just $65.5M U.S./Canada and $136.2M worldwide. —Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 18 June 2024

Thibodeau flailed his arms in defeat with 1:33 left in the fourth quarter, when Bulls center Nikola Vucevic was left uncontested at the top of the key to put the Knicks down eight. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024

Besides Parkinson as the flailing Rachel and Steadman as her sunny mother-in-law, there are Jim Howick as Rachel’s husband; their children Sam and Amy (Freya Parks); Rachel’s brother Robin (Tom Basden, who created the show) and his sometime fiancée Cherry (Tori Allen-Martin). —Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2024

Marshall-Green then boarded the project as his son, Ted, a flailing writer with a side gig slinging peanuts at Yankee Stadium. —Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 14 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English fleil, flail, partly from Old English *flegel (whence Old English fligel), from Late Latin flagellum flail, from Latin, whip & partly from Anglo-French flael, from Late Latin flagellum — more at flagellate

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

flail

1 of 2 noun

ˈflā(ə)l 

: a tool for threshing grain by hand

flail

2 of 2 verb

1

: to strike with or as if with a flail

2

: to move or wave about as if swinging a flail

flailed their arms

Medical Definition

flail

adjective

ˈflā(ə)l 

: exhibiting abnormal mobility and loss of response to normal controls

—used of body parts damaged by paralysis, injury, or surgery

flail joint