as in to whip
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
some medieval monks believed it was necessary to flagellate themselves in order to keep their desires in check
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Recent Examples of flagellate
One Peruvian candidate has taken time to talk about his habit of wearing a wire chain, known as a cilice, every day to flagellate himself.
—
Star Tribune, 8 Apr. 2021
All are said to have had affairs with Lucian Freud (was there anyone who didn’t?), three with Arthur Koestler and one with Egypt’s King Farouk (who liked to flagellate her on the steps of the royal palace with his dressing-gown cord).
—Moira Hodgson, WSJ, 31 Jan. 2020
Muslims were mobilizing; once, Mr. Rizvi visited during Muharram, an annual ritual of mourning, and found her surrounded by pilgrims, flagellating themselves with chains to which razor blades had been attached.
—Ellen Barry, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2019
Tech companies have self-flagellated a lot on these issues.
—Frank Bajak, SFChronicle.com, 14 Oct. 2019
See All Example Sentences for flagellate
Star Tribune, 8 Apr. 2021
All are said to have had affairs with Lucian Freud (was there anyone who didn’t?), three with Arthur Koestler and one with Egypt’s King Farouk (who liked to flagellate her on the steps of the royal palace with his dressing-gown cord).
—Moira Hodgson, WSJ, 31 Jan. 2020
Muslims were mobilizing; once, Mr. Rizvi visited during Muharram, an annual ritual of mourning, and found her surrounded by pilgrims, flagellating themselves with chains to which razor blades had been attached.
—Ellen Barry, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2019
Tech companies have self-flagellated a lot on these issues.
—Frank Bajak, SFChronicle.com, 14 Oct. 2019
See All Example Sentences for flagellate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flagellate
Verb
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The moment was so precious that Reed whipped out her phone to take a quick video and later shared it on TikTok.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA TODAY,
18 Mar. 2025
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Blizzards expected in Northern Plains Forecasters warned that heavy snow whipped by powerful winds are likely to make travel treacherous in parts of the Rockies and Northern Plains.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The ancient springhead, natural waterpark, and retro roadside attraction has more than a few secrets hidden in its eelgrass.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
22 Mar. 2025
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But all that family turmoil was hidden, and to most who knew him, Dr. Schwartz seemed to have a beautiful life until the evening of May 28, 2014, when Becky Schwartz came home and discovered her home in disarray.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Last season, the veteran slashed .251/.335/.468 with 26 home runs and 26 doubles.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
17 Mar. 2025
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The cutscene slashes through the past and present of the Hive God pantheon, which has a dead Oryx quasi-returned and now interested in us, his killers.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Speccie’s star columnist is the rudest man in Christendom, the Godzilla of contumely, an all-time non-sufferer of fools who horsewhips his targets the way Hunter S. Thompson and Christopher Hitchens once did.—
Kyle Smith,
National Review,
23 Apr. 2020
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In reality, Watson wasn’t a bar fighter or famous for horsewhipping cowboys.—
Eliza McGraw,
Smithsonian,
12 Mar. 2018
Verb
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So Morris lashed out, sneaking out and breaking into homes, cars, and schools.—
Guthrie Scrimgeour,
Rolling Stone,
16 Mar. 2025
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When conflict arises — a toddler might have a tearful tantrum, or an older kid may shout or lash out — a ‘democratic parent’ should be mindful of the fact that there is likely a root cause of the difficult behavior.—
Miranda Rake,
Parents,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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News round-up Real Madrid set up El Clasico in Spain’s Supercopa by leathering Mallorca 3-0 last night.—
Phil Hay,
The Athletic,
10 Jan. 2025
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Almost from the start, Dharavi was defined by its industries: from the traditional potters of Gujarat who began arriving in the late 1800s, to leather tanners from Tamil Nadu and embroidery workers from Uttar Pradesh.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN,
29 June 2024
Verb
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That said, there’s a very fine line between healthy affection and desperately flailing to prove your worth.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
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George decides the best way to test the waters to see who floats and who flails is to throw a dinner party at their house.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
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That will likely be music to the ears of European clubs keen to flog players, but January showed a different side to the league’s approach in the sense that the big money no longer went on expensive, past-their-peak stars.—
Dan Sheldon,
The Athletic,
5 Feb. 2025
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Maybe Unify will end up as a hyper-realistic AI companion that looks like Florentino Perez, or an app that measures your level of hubris, like the one that tracks your steps, or a simulator that allows users to relieve stress by flogging dead horses.—
Rory Smith,
The Athletic,
18 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Flagellate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flagellate. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
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