Flail example sentences
Related (14): thrash, struggle, wave, swing, writhe, flounder, panic, gesticulate, lurch, stumble, fumble, grope, flailing, flailed
"Flail" Example Sentences
Common Phrases
- flail around
- flail about
- flail wildly
- flail helplessly
- flail in panic
- flail one's arms
- flail one's legs
- flail at something
- watch someone flail
- begin to flail
Examples by Level
A1
- The baby began to flail when she was upset.
- He watched the fish flail on the ground.
A2
- When he fell in the water, he started to flail and scream for help.
- She would flail her arms whenever she got excited about something.
B1
- Looking back, it's clear he was just going to flail without proper guidance.
- There's something almost desperate about watching someone flail instead of asking for help.
B2
- The company began to flail the moment their strategy fell apart, and nobody seemed to have a backup plan.
- She'd spent weeks trying to flail through the problem before finally admitting she needed advice.
C1
- What we often interpret as confidence is sometimes just someone's refusal to flail openly, even as they're drowning internally.
- The administration's tendency to flail in response to crisis only deepened the public's distrust in their competence.
C2
- There's a particular kind of humiliation that comes with watching yourself flail in front of people whose respect you desperately need.
- He'd learned long ago that to flail visibly was to invite judgment, so he'd perfected the art of struggling in silence.
Examples by Scenario
🏠 Everyday Life
- My dog started to flail when I tried to give him a bath.
- I watched the kid flail around in the shallow end of the pool while his dad laughed.
💼 Workplace
- During the meeting, he seemed to flail without any actual plan for solving the problem.
- She tends to flail when deadlines get tight instead of asking the team for help.
📊 Business
- The startup began to flail once their funding dried up and they couldn't pivot fast enough.
- Our competitor's attempt to flail into the luxury market failed spectacularly within six months.
🛒 Buying / Shopping
- I watched him flail through the grocery store looking for something that wasn't even there.
- She started to flail trying to figure out which phone plan would actually work for her needs.
✈️ Travel
- The passenger began to flail when turbulence hit and he realized he was afraid of flying.
- We watched tourists flail with their luggage at the airport, completely overwhelmed by the chaos.
📚 Education
- The student would flail during exams instead of using the study techniques we'd taught him.
- Teachers see kids flail when they haven't done the reading and try to fake their way through discussion.
❤️ Relationships
- When he tried to explain why he was late, he just started to flail and make excuses.
- She could see him flail emotionally whenever the conversation got too serious or vulnerable.
📰 News / Politics
- The senator's response seemed to flail without addressing any of the actual allegations.
- Analysts noted that the administration continued to flail on policy, contradicting itself daily.
💻 Technology
- Users complained that the new interface made them flail trying to find basic functions.
- The AI chatbot would flail when asked anything outside its narrow training data.
📝 Formal Writing
- The report documented how the department began to flail once leadership changed hands.
- Research indicates that students who flail without seeking assistance are more likely to drop out.