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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Eleven of his assists that season came from the right, and nine were whipped across in that fashion.—
Art de Roché,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
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Miller was struck in the temple, whipping his hat off his head.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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His wife, Avital, who was seven months pregnant at the time, hid in a safe room with their two daughters.—
Julia Frankel,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Feb. 2025
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Dylan notices the slogan and examines the poster to find that Irv hid his drawing of the Exports Hall, with detailed instructions on how to get there written on the back, behind it.—
Megan McCluskey,
TIME,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The most expensive contract that DOGE claims to have slashed is $8 billion to D&G Support Services LLC to provide services for the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, starting in late 2022.—
Andre Tartar Bloomberg News (TNS),
arkansasonline.com,
20 Feb. 2025
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Meanwhile, Democrats, lacking the votes to block Trump's plans, are warning of severe consequences, particularly as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashes federal agencies, leading to mass layoffs and the dismantling of government programs.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 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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Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, lashed out at the Trump administration for leaving him out of the talks.—
German Lopez,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2025
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In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Mr. Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy, accusing him of duping the U.S. into providing billions in aid to Ukraine and misusing it.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 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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Video captured by Robert Hayes and obtained by PEOPLE shows the long and bright-colored fish flailing in the water.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
19 Feb. 2025
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In their first meeting, Peguero blew a high fastball past Adames; in their second encounter, Peguero got Adames to whiff through another heater and flail at a slider low-and-away.—
Justice delos Santos,
The Mercury News,
19 Feb. 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 27 Feb. 2025.
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