whipping post

noun

: a post to which offenders are tied to be legally whipped

Examples of whipping post in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
What's even uglier is when one of them is tied to the whipping post in broad daylight by a mob egged on by leading climate scientists and their henchmen. Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2014 On Wednesday, less than 50 years after the state rid its laws of the punishment, the whipping post displayed on public property in Georgetown, Delaware, for decades will be pulled from the ground and tucked in a warehouse. Xerxes Wilson, USA TODAY, 30 June 2020 Forty-eight years after formally ridding whipping from its laws as a criminal punishment, the state of Delaware will be removing a public whipping post on Wednesday. Editors, USA TODAY, 1 July 2020 This is the last Delaware whipping post to be removed. Allen Kim and Sheena Jones, CNN, 1 July 2020 In her 90s, Hollingsworth's recollection of Delaware's relationship with the whipping post began in the 1930s. Xerxes Wilson, USA TODAY, 30 June 2020 An 8-foot tall whipping post was removed from a Delaware county courthouse square Wednesday after activists said the post was a reminder of racial discrimination. BostonGlobe.com, 2 July 2020 The whipping post was originally located on the grounds of the Sussex Correctional Institution south of Georgetown, according to a news release. Allen Kim and Sheena Jones, CNN, 1 July 2020 The last to abolish state whippings:Delaware to remove public whipping post Wednesday Follow reporter Meghan Mangrum on Twitter @memangrum. Meghan Mangrum, USA TODAY, 30 June 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of whipping post was in 1600

Dictionary Entries Near whipping post

Cite this Entry

“Whipping post.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whipping%20post. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!