FLAILING Definition & Meaning

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flailing

[fley-ling]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

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.
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.
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.

adjective

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.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of flailing¹

First recorded in 1850–55; flail ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; flail ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective sense

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

However, the young goalkeeper looked badly at fault as Victor Palsson's header bypassed his flailing arms for the third.

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But it was also clear they’d have to be patient with his development, after Kim spent most of the spring flailing in the batter’s box in his first dose against big-league competition.

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He is seen flailing around as people on the beach shout that he is being attacked.

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Man Utd and Spurs, two traditional giants, are in the bottom half of the table and flailing wildly.

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The more prestigious Russell Group of research-rich universities have gone after the students that would previously have gone to middle-ranking institutions, leaving the latter financially flailing.

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flail flair

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