Showing results for "flailing"

• present participle of flail.

flailing

American  

[fley-ling] / ˈfleɪ lɪŋ /

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

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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.

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

See Examples For:

flailing

Netflix and other streamers have already split the film industry down the middle, separating those who venerate the art form from those who venerate the dollar, leaving many Hollywood titans flailing somewhere in the middle.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 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

Messi toyed with United like a kid on the Playstation - twisting, turning, nutmegging defenders whose flailing white shirts might as well have been a call for surrender.

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

The flood nearly swept my feet out from under me, but I kept flailing, frantically reaching down to feel the bottom of the creek.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• whipping