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
To conclude, my aim in this is not to flagellate myself in a dervish of self-indulgence.
—
Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 10 Dec. 2010
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
See All Example Sentences for flagellate
Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 10 Dec. 2010
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
See All Example Sentences for flagellate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flagellate
Verb
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Take it from us and whip out this gem for special occasions versus everyday wear, as Gucci recommends shielding it from direct light, heat, and rain.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
10 Apr. 2025
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In the early hours of April 21, 1775, gale-force winds whipped across the town square, driving the shivering sentries from their posts to the shelter of their beds.—
Andrew Lawler,
Smithsonian Magazine,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Rogers was found hiding under a bridge nearby and was arrested, authorities said.—
Kate Linderman,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 2025
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The couple went viral in 2022 when food blogger Carissa Stanton moved into their former Venice, Calif., home and found old photographs of Dann and Karen hidden in the fireplace.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The vacuum, which is typically priced at $450, has been slashed to just $300 at Amazon.—
Amy Schulman,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Big studios have slashed budgets, making life for production crews more financially precarious.—
Steven Kurutz,
New York Times,
28 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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However, Cabello lashed out at U.S. authorities, accusing them of unjustly detaining and deporting Venezuelans under false claims of gang affiliations.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2025
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In early March, tropical storm Alfred battered Australia’s heavily populated east coast, lashing the region with damaging winds and heavy rain for several days as hundreds of thousands of homes in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales lost power.—
Edward Szekeres and Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
28 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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The flailing support comes as aggressive and sweeping tariffs have sparked a global trade war and sunk U.S. stocks.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
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The flailing power play was 0-for-4 on Wednesday and produced five total shots with the advantage; the best scoring chance of those three third-period power plays was Matt Boldy’s short-handed try for Minnesota.—
Arthur Staple,
New York Times,
3 Apr. 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 16 Apr. 2025.
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