1
[ verb ] give a thrashing to; beat hard

Synonyms

thrash lam thresh

Used in print

(Jim Thompson, The Transgressors....)

He could not grasp that Lord had withdrawn from the fight minutes ago , and that his leaden arms were flailing at nothing but the air .

Related terms

beat bat

2
[ noun ] an implement consisting of handle with a free swinging stick at the end; used in manual threshing

Used in print

(Robert Penn Warren, Wilderness....)

He thought_of Simms_Purdew , who once had risen at the edge of a cornfield , a maniacal scream on his lips , and swung a clubbed musket like a flail to beat down the swirl of Rebel bayonets about him .

Related terms

implement thrash

3
[ verb ] move like a flail; thresh about

Synonyms

thresh

Examples

"Her arms were flailing"

Related terms

beat

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