flailing
present participle offlail
flail
verb[IorT]
uk/fleɪl/us/fleɪl/(alsoflail about/around)(especiallyofarmsandlegs) tomoveenergeticallyin anuncontrolledway:
Awaspcame towards us and Howardstartedflailing hisarmsaround.
Sheranfrom thehousein aterriblerage, herarmsflailing in theair.
Making short, sudden movements
- aquiver
- convulse
- convulsion
- convulsive
- cringe
- flick
- jerkiness
- jerky
- jig
- jiggle
- jiggly
- pull away
- quiver
- shrink
- shudder
- squirm
- tremulous
- whip
- worry atsomething
- wriggle
Examplesofflailing
flailing
In English, many past and present participles of verbs can be used as adjectives. Some of these examples may show the adjective use.
This seems evident from theflailingand wailing of an infant in acute pain.
From theCambridge English Corpus
No orchestra takes the first as fast as the marked 100; timpanists couldn't buy insurance for brachial failure from the prescribedflailing.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Cordal rupture was observed in seven patients (12.5%), and three of them with markedflailingof the leaflets were referred for surgery.
From theCambridge English Corpus
They areflailingabout and are desperately out of touch.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
He wasflailingfor something on which to cling to avoid the accusation of total absurdity.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
He seemed to beflailingaround helplessly.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
In the 1890s farm workers burnt the threshing machines because they thought that those modern inventions would do them out of their winter work offlailingcorn.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
It is part of the general atmosphere of a government at once decaying andflailingwith increasing bad temper against any criticism of their own worsening performance.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
We wereflailingaround in the dark.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
But horrid doctor skills andflailingat the very public sport of tennis, and his obliviousness to it all?
From
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.Speyer was one of those people who were solid, and even solemn, at an age when others are stillflailingand unsure of themselves.
FromThis example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.The ground shook harder, and more arms wereflailingabout (and blocking my viewalthough, my lack of height may have something to with that).
FromThis example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.He shook dreadfully for a time, and groaned whileflailingabout.
FromThis example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.Onstage, he exhibited an idiosyncratic physical intensity,flailinghis arms and playing air guitar, occasionally giving superfluous cues to his band.
FromThis example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.If tied down, the victim'sflailingmight pull his/her arms from their sockets.
FromThis example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
- residential address
- residential architecture
- residential architecture
- residential area
- residential block
- residential care
- residential-care
- residential college
- residential complex
- residential condominium
- residential construction
- residential construction
- residential customer
- residential development
- residential district
- residential estate
- residential facility
- residential hotel
- residential location
- residential market
- residential mobility
- residential mortgage
- residential neighbourhood
- residential project
- residential property