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flail
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- pronunciation:
- fleIl
- parts of speech:
- noun, transitive verb, intransitive verb
- features:
- Word Combinations (noun, verb), Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
a manual implement used to thresh grain, consisting of a long handle with a short, freely moving bar attached at one end.
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| definition 2: |
a medieval weapon of similar design but with heavy, often spherical and barbed weights instead of the short bar.
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| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
flails, flailing, flailed |
| definition 1: |
to beat, as with a flail, whip, the fists, or the like.
He flailed the poor horse with his whip.- similar words:
- beat, hide, lather
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| definition 2: |
to cause to move wildly and loosely.
He was flailing his arms, trying to signal me.- similar words:
- thrash
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| related words: |
belt, cane, club, flog, lambaste, lash, scourge, strap, thrash, whip, writhe |
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| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| definition 1: |
to thresh grain using a flail.
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| definition 2: |
to move or wave randomly or wildly.
The novice swimmer flailed about ineffectively. |
| related words: |
struggle, writhe |
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