flail vs beat

flail and beat both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
flail	Yes	No	Yes	No
beat	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

As verbs, beat is a hypernym of flail; that is, beat is a word with a broader meaning than flail:

flail: give a thrashing to; beat hard
beat: give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression

Other hypernyms of flail include beat up, work over.

As verbs, beat is a hypernym of flail; that is, beat is a word with a broader meaning than flail:

Other hypernyms of flail include flap.

flail (noun)	beat (noun)
an implement consisting of handle with a free swinging stick at the end; used in manual threshing	the act of beating to windward; sailing as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
	a stroke or blow
	a regular rate of repetition
	the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music
	(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
	the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart
	the sound of stroke or blow
	a regular route for a sentry or policeman
	a member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior
	a single pulsation of an oscillation produced by adding two waves of different frequencies; has a frequency equal to the difference between the two oscillations

flail (adjective)	beat (adjective)
	very tired

flail (verb)	beat (verb)
give a thrashing to; beat hard	wear out completely
move like a flail; thresh about	be a mystery or bewildering to
	come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
	beat through cleverness and wit
	hit repeatedly
	give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression
	stir vigorously
	strike (a part of one's own body) repeatedly, as in great emotion or in accompaniment to music
	strike (water or bushes) repeatedly to rouse animals for hunting
	shape by beating
	make by pounding or trampling
	produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly
	move rhythmically
	sail with much tacking or with difficulty
	move with a flapping motion
	indicate by beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks
	move with a thrashing motion
	move with or as if with a regular alternating motion
	make a rhythmic sound
	make a sound like a clock or a timer
	glare or strike with great intensity
	avoid paying
	be superior