flail
Example Sentences
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With the USA bats continuing to flail against Rodriguez, the Venezuelans doubled their lead in the top of the fifth inning.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
Such small fry could easily flail or fail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 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
"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
He moved into it and I heard him flail around.
From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers
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
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
Wendell Pierce, as Willy, is wrenching as he flails and fails to avoid his fate instead of slumping into it from the start.
From New York Times ● Oct. 9, 2022
The horse flails, and the knight is up to his cobalt-cloaked chest in water.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
The new storefronts have especially been a boon for malls, which flailed after the rise of online shopping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
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
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
“Hobbies, hobbies,” he flailed his hands, as if he were juggling, “things you like to do after school.”
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
Sure, there are still areas where the monoculture is flailing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
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
I’m in the audience, flailing my arms like an idiot, signaling for Tanisha to let loose.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
Vocabulary lists containing flail
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