Thesaurus results for FLAILED

flailed

verb

past tense of flail

as in flapped

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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as in whipped

to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible gruesome evidence that the prisoner had been flailed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of flailed While the Yankees are often criticized for being too analytical, tabbing Cole goes against the numbers, as Tampa’s lineup has flailed against southpaws all season. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026 Harper flailed at a Sale slider that was in the other batter’s box. — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Daniels confessed that the Hendrick teams underestimated their gap to the Toyotas, which won five of the first six races, then flailed by trying to do too much in their setups at early races, including Darlington and Phoenix. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026 Lonsway started his career on a high note by striking out the Diamondbacks’ Ildemaro Vargas, who flailed at strike three and lost his bat. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2026 The man hugged a bag, the woman shouted and flailed her arms, and the young teenage boy pulled at his sister, who seemed stupefied. — Literary Hub, 21 July 2026 Belgium’s Hans Vanaken thumped it into the goal past defender Tim Ream, who flailed lamely as Belgium scored. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 7 July 2026 The 7-foot-4 phenom then flailed his right arm back and struck Reid in the neck. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026 The Braves were a ratings hit, and when the team flailed and went up for sale, Turner’s company became its owner in 1976. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flailed

Verb

Above the dancers flapped a ring of American flags, each representing a military veteran from the community who had passed away.

— Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Luna then tried to jump over Sandy to get back into the bowl of the nest, but Sandy lost her balance and flapped down to the lower branches.

— Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 July 2026

Definition of flapped

Verb

After learning that Manchester whipped Maggie with a cat-o’-nine-tails, Lizzie agrees to help the Borden family’s maid kill her.

— Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
That sort of whipped, inswinging ball from Slater that caused so much havoc is hugely familiar to avid Premier League watchers.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of whipped

Verb

Yellow caution tape fluttered in the wind as water poured into a room strewn with wooden debris, an upturned refrigerator and a television.

— Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
But no sooner did the words leave his mouth than the man’s eyelids fluttered open.

— Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of fluttered

Verb

The carrier also slashed earnings for basic economy flights, following earlier changes to the same practice by American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

— Caleigh Keating, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
The second man pulled a knife and slashed the first in the abdomen, police said.

— Adam Harrington, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of slashed

Verb

Paul Marie flicked a ball off the outside of his foot to Judd, who scored on a volley from the edge of the 6-yard box to give the Earthquakes a 3-0 lead in the 29th.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Reus played a free kick from near the left end line to the near post, where Klauss flicked in a header in the 76th minute.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of flicked

Verb

But in an ironic twist, part of the parking lot was underwater, a tractor had raised a berm to hold back the ocean, and just to the south, homes were being thrashed by waves.

— Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Smith is said to have thrashed and thrashed in the death chamber.

— Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of thrashed

Verb

After Daria Rae slapped her backstage, Hartwell was rewarded with a shot at the Knockouts Championship against Brookside.

— Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
At the funeral my half-sister told me I was emotionally disturbed and my memories of being slapped were lies.

— R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of slapped

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“Flailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailed. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of flailed

verb

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