flailing

[ fley-ling ]
See synonyms for: flailingflailings on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the act of moving one’s limbs or body about randomly and wildly (often followed by around or about): The patient had to be sedated, as her flailing gave the nurse a bloody nose.

  2. the act or process of making desperate attempts to respond to a difficult or awkward situation (often followed by around or about): Embracing the challenge of doing business differently doesn't just mean more effort, more mindless flailing around.

  1. 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
  1. moving about randomly and wildly, or making desperate attempts to respond to a challenge: I was pushed out of bed by the flailing limbs of my overexcited little boy.There was no real strike, only a flailing protest by unions trying to become relevant again.

Origin of flailing

1
First recorded in 1850–55; flail + -ing1 for the noun senses; flail + -ing2 for the adjective sense

Words Nearby flailing

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use flailing in a sentence

  • A flailing genre seems revitalized, if “revitalized” means youth, though not female, or black, or openly gay talent.

  • Men rushed to get away from the reach of those flailing arms.

    Hunters Out of Space | Joseph Everidge Kelleam
  • It was like an inexpert boxer flailing according to rules unknownand Greys face flamed and actually turned anxious.

  • He balled his fists and hammered air like a windmill, arms flailing, striking flesh often enough to batter Larry toward the floor.

    A Place in the Sun | C.H. Thames
  • But always, when a fly was hit, his ear registered the crack of the flailing bat, and his eye followed the ascending ball.

  • He drove them to the sidewalk, flailing away at those within reach.

    The Sheriff's Son | William MacLeod Raine