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

The United States, on the other hand, is flailing mightily.

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026

Four years later, Trimble was left flailing at a rampaging Jonathan Davies who sprinted away to cross for two tries in the 2012 victory that set Wales on to a Grand Slam.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

Only Byrne’s flashes of humor and desperately flailing humanity keep her on this side of monstrous.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

With the puck inches away from sneaking past him, a desperate, flailing Hellebuyck reached back and somehow managed to deflect it away at the last possible moment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

He looked like a starfish, with his legs splayed and his elbows flailing.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

Related Words

• whipping