flailing
Americannoun
-
the act of moving one’s limbs or body about randomly and wildly (often followed by around orabout ).
The patient had to be sedated, as her flailing gave the nurse a bloody nose.
-
the act or process of making desperate attempts to respond to a difficult or awkward situation (often followed by around orabout ).
Embracing the challenge of doing business differently doesn't just mean more effort, more mindless flailing around.
-
the act or process of beating grain with a flail to separate the kernel from the chaff.
As wheat production increased, flailing and winnowing were replaced with threshing machines and fanning mills.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of flailing
First recorded in 1850–55; flail ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses; flail ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective sense
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Flailing about is not something that mothers and grandmothers want their children to do.
From Salon • Jul. 8, 2023
Wild Flailing Guess: Now that we know we’re down to just Greg Grippo, Justin Glaze and Blake Moynes, we still think that Greg’s going to win.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 26, 2021
Clayton Kershaw: Flailing Dodgers need to ‘figure it out right now’
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2021
Flailing malls have looked to food to lift their businesses, and Mr. Isabella sold General Growth Properties, which owns the Galleria, on a one-stop solution.
From New York Times • Oct. 9, 2017
She was overshooting the building Flailing in the grasp of the jacket, flying helplessly upward and then down again, she passed the roofs edge.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
