flail
Americannoun
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an instrument for threshing grain, consisting of a staff or handle with a freely swinging stick or bar attached to one end of it.
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a similar instrument used as a weapon of war.
verb (used without object)
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to move about randomly and wildly.
Running down to the lake I hit a patch of mud and found myself flailing all over the path, arms and legs flying.
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to make desperate or unproductive attempts to respond to a challenging problem, awkward situation, etc. (usually followed by around orabout ).
He makes things worse by flailing about with administrative solutions to educational problems he doesn't understand.
For six years the government flailed, proposing one ineffectual program after another.
verb (used with object)
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to thresh (grain) with a flail.
Together they managed to clear land, seed wheat, flail the grain by hand, and grind it into flour.
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to beat, strike, attack, etc., repeatedly with or as if with a flail.
I flailed the water with a variety of lures for hours, and caught three bass.
The infantry closed in while artillery support flailed the enemy positions.
-
to move (a limb, one’s body, etc.) randomly and wildly (often followed by around orabout ).
Gasping and choking, he flailed a hand in my general direction.
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to swing (something) about as if using a flail.
She violently flailed the flare around, trying to catch the attention of the figure on the hill.
adjective
noun
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an implement used for threshing grain, consisting of a wooden handle with a free-swinging metal or wooden bar attached to it
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a weapon so shaped used in the Middle Ages
verb
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(tr) to beat or thrash with or as if with a flail
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to move or be moved like a flail; thresh about
with arms flailing
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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flailsimple
-
flailssimple
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have flailedperfect
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has flailedperfect
-
am flailingprogressive
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are flailingprogressive
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is flailingprogressive
-
have been flailingperfect progressive
-
has been flailingperfect progressive
Past
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flailedsimple
-
had flailedperfect
-
was flailingprogressive
-
were flailingprogressive
-
had been flailingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of flail
First recorded before 1100; Middle English fleil (noun), Old English flighel (probably misspelling of unattested flegil ), cognate with Dutch vlegel, German Flegel, from unattested West Germanic flagil-, from Late Latin flagellum “flail,” Latin: “whip, scourge”; see flagellum
Explanation
To flail means to wave around wildly. If you are stranded on a deserted island and you see a ship in the distance, it’s a good idea to flail your arms in the air to get the captain’s attention. Flail originates with the Latin word flagellum, which is a whip. It is also related to the noun flail, a stick with a swinging attachment to it, used to thresh grain. As a verb, it most often refers to arms, but can also involve the whole body, especially if someone is a very wild dancer. Other things can flail as well. If someone admits that his business is flailing, it’s probably lacking direction and not doing very well.
Vocabulary lists containing flail
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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.
See Examples For:
They scampered around the office looming above the Outdoor stage, while delighted fans on the ground watched them flail behind glass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
Such small fry could easily flail or fail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
Gobert was initially assessed a common foul, but officials ruled it a flagrant after a review, saying he made an "unnecessary flail" with his arm.
From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026
"When other fish get caught in those nets they sort of flail and it sends out a vibration underwater, sort of like ringing the dinner bell," says Prof Pepin-Neff.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2025
And just like that, I was starting to flail, tossed without warning into deep water, drowning and desperate.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
Lawrence’s Grace needs help and the more she flails, the worse she makes things.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2025
When he flails the way he did in the playoffs last year, it’s bound to raise suspicions that he’s distracted or not entirely invested in the sport in which he makes his living.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
At times it’s hard to recognize the ascending superstar as he flails at pitches out of the strike zone and, despite his seemingly unflappable persona, shows unmistakable signs of pressing.
From Seattle Times ● May 4, 2023
Lawson appears to be pulling Sheppard down, and after Lawson disappears, Sheppard flies more freely, but also flails, falling in beautiful slow-motion arcs.
From New York Times ● Aug. 26, 2022
The horse flails, and the knight is up to his cobalt-cloaked chest in water.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Stagflation set in, and the Nixon, Ford and Carter administrations all flailed helplessly at the beast.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
They attacked the game, while Rangers flailed wildly.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2025
His fastball was more than a tick down from his season average as he flailed with his command early.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2025
There were costume changes and choreographed dance numbers, even an intro where a moving tentacle flailed halfway out of her mouth.
From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2025
Sierra flailed along the ground till she found her phone.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
Neill’s performance is as flailing and furious as hers, and together, they turn “Possession” into a radical piece of filmmaking that has deservedly earned its cult following and late reverence.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
Then Mookie Betts drove him in with a comebacker over the mound and past flailing second baseman Edouard Julien.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
"She came out with her two little arms flailing," family friend Rolando told AFP, asking to be identified by only his first name.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
A ball dropping, a defender flailing and a striker as cool as can be, cushioning the ball up and over a stranded goalkeeper.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
I turn back to rabid Bryce, flailing around on the shoulder of the road.
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
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.
