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
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flailssimple
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have flailedperfect
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has flailedperfect
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am flailingprogressive
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are flailingprogressive
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is flailingprogressive
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have been flailingperfect progressive
-
has been flailingperfect progressive
Past
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flailedsimple
-
had flailedperfect
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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:
While investment and consumption flail, China’s dollar-denominated exports power on, surging almost 20% year-over-year last month on demand for artificial intelligence and clean-energy products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
He opened the unlocked door of a police vehicle, climbed into the back and began to flail in distress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 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
As a beginner, I expected the arms and hands to flail around, knocking the blocks and cups around the room.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026
"Is that your wolf, boy?" a skinny youth called, unlimbering a stone flail.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
The puppet scenes, bestowing a belated yet supremely deserved spotlight on Abuela Julia, are the most original and haunting aspect of a production that too often flails for effects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2025
Blusteringly self-important, he flails through life, naïve and directionless and pontificating nonetheless.
From New York Times ● May 5, 2023
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
Again, these are big swings, the kind of flails that Dodgers batters take when a playoff game is on the line.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 16, 2022
He slithers up to a note, hits it, flails, recovers, oozes in the direction of another note.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
As time passed and no government help appeared, del Giudice became exasperated and flailed at the rubble.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
They attacked the game, while Rangers flailed wildly.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2025
But throughout the 2025 Emmys telecast, the nice guy comic flailed in the deep end of a flop sweat pool.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2025
The peacock butterfly caterpillars flailed their bodies—and even bit at the electrodes—about 1.4 times longer, whereas the cinnabar and vapourer caterpillars spent 175 times and 3.3 times longer coiled into tight balls.
From Science Magazine ● May 20, 2024
Then, as the hot pains invaded her body, she shouted and thrashed and flailed, shrieking and kicking.
From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman
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
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
Sigurd went about his business as though he didn’t have a flailing child attached to him.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
