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Definition of "flail" []

  • A manual threshing device consisting of a long wooden handle or staff and a shorter, free-swinging stick attached to its end. (noun)
  • To beat or strike with or as if with a flail: flailed our horses with the reins. (verb-transitive)
  • To wave or swing vigorously; thrash: flailed my arms to get their attention. (verb-transitive)
  • To thresh using a flail. (verb-transitive)
  • To move vigorously or erratically; thrash about: arms flailing helplessly in the water. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "flail" in a sentence
  • "The Army wanted a robot that could perform a task called "flail" - essentially tilling dirt to find bombs buried beneath, and then either disabling or detonating them without destroying the robot."
  • "I am indulgent on this, I suppose: it won’t do them any good in the long-term, watching them flail is amusing, and they’ll probably cut something that will seriously annoy their base support."
  • "When we thresh our corn, the flail is the final cause of the separation of the grain."