flail
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To wave or swing vigorously.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
flaylIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈfleɪl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To wave or swing vigorously
transitive
To beat using a flail or similar implement.
Move like a flail; thresh about
noun
An implement consisting of handle with a free swinging stick at the end; used in manual threshing
A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle (handstock) with a shorter stick (swipple or swingle) attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material.
A weapon which has the (usually spherical) striking part attached to the handle with a flexible joint such as a chain.
often plural
Part of a rotating device, often used for cutting vegetation.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To wave or swing vigorously
Used this way, flail is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to wave or swing vigorously
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.