flail
To wave your arms and legs about wildly.
flail in a sentence
- The swimmer began to flail in the deep water until the lifeguard blew her whistle.
- Stuck in the corner of the bouncy castle, Ben began to flail, arms and legs waving everywhere.
Words that mean something similar
thrash, wave, swing
More words about movement & action
- flee: To run away from danger.
- fleet: Fast and nimble in movement.
- flinch: To make a small, sudden movement because of pain, fear or surprise.
- forage: To search for food in the wild.
- frolic: To play and jump about happily.
- fumble: To handle something clumsily or keep dropping it.
- gingerly: Very carefully and gently, so that nothing goes wrong.
- glide: To move smoothly and quietly, without any effort.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test