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

Flailing about is not something that mothers and grandmothers want their children to do.

From Salon • Jul. 8, 2023

Wild Flailing Guess: We’ve been predicting it would be Greg, especially after the early departure of hot widower Michael Allio.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 2, 2021

Clayton Kershaw: Flailing Dodgers need to ‘figure it out right now’

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2021

Last year I watched a couple of his dance performances – called, obscurely, Amidst a Sea of Flailing High Heels and Cooking Utensils – at Tate Tanks and London's Chisenhale Gallery.

From The Guardian • May 9, 2013

Flailing his numb stick-limbs, he began to fight his way back towards the surface.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Related Words

• whipping