Flail

English

Noun

Flail (plural Flails)

1. A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle with a shorter stick attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material.
2. A weapon which has the (usually spherical) striking part attached to the handle with a flexible joint such as a chain.

Verb

Flail (third-person singular simple present Flails, present participle Flailing, simple past and past participle Flailed)

1. To beat using a flail or similar implement.
2. To wave or swing vigorously
3. To thresh.

Synonyms

• (wave, swing) thrash

Thesaurus

bang, baste, bastinado, batter, beat, belabor, belt, birch, buffet, cane, club, cowhide, cudgel, cut, cut and thrust, drub, feint, flagellate, flail at, flail away at, flap, flog, fustigate, give a whipping, give the stick, hammer, hit at, horsewhip, knock, knout, lace, lambaste, larrup, lash, lash out at, lay on, let drive at, let fly at, lunge at, maul, paste, patter, pelt, pistol-whip, poke at, pommel, pound, pulverize, pummel, rap, rawhide, scourge, sledgehammer, smite, spank, strap, strike at, strike out at, stripe, swing at, swing on, swinge, switch, thrash, thresh, thrust at, thump, trounce, truncheon, wallop, whale, whip, whop

Pronunciation

• IPA: /fleɪl/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -eɪl