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
For Logan, none of these self-flagellating exercises mattered.
—
Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2023
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
Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2023
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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The comet will also whip by Mars on October 2 at 18 million miles (30 million kilometers) from the red planet.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
3 July 2025
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An Italian meringue involves carefully and slowly drizzling a hot sugar syrup into egg whites while whipping them.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
3 July 2025
Verb
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Keep scrolling for more impressive Prime Day deals on hidden camera detectors hiding throughout the site, starting at $24.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
8 July 2025
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Eight airports in different states appeared to have dropped the requirement, in place since 2006 after a British man in 2001 attempted to destroy an airliner with explosives hidden in a shoe.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Club World Cup gets mammoth final in PSG, Chelsea: The FIFA Club World Cup’s debut as a major 32-team event across the U.S. had its negatives -- notably slashed ticket prices to combat lousy crowds for some matches.—
Greg Cote
July 13,
Miami Herald,
13 July 2025
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As empty rows piled up, FIFA slashed prices dramatically — one Chelsea-Fluminense semifinal ticket fell to $13, less than a stadium beer.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 July 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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Less than a week after Hegseth suspended them, deliveries abruptly started up again after President Donald Trump said Ukraine needed weapons to defend itself and lashed out at Vladimir Putin with the harshest language he's yet directed at the Russian leader.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
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More than a foot of rain lashed the region before the river flooding on Friday afternoon, NWS meteorologist James Wingenroth told Newsweek.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Underneath her coat, Witherspoon wore an ankle-length black skirt and leather round-toe boots.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
28 Jan. 2025
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Compare with the Met’s full-size cast, from 1985, and these miniatures cleave the collective anguish into distinct emotions — one figure seems mid-dance, one bored, another ecstatic — in a range of patinas, from dark chocolate to leather.—
Walker Mimms,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Messiahs brought in from the outside to rescue flailing enterprises rarely live up to expectations.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
10 July 2025
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The book also examines the Harris campaign during the 2024 presidential election, detailing warnings that the then-vice president should disassociate herself from the flailing Biden White House.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Judas, one of the apostles, betrays Jesus and that same night, Jesus is arrested and flogged.—
Tribune News Reports,
Hartford Courant,
13 June 2025
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The consumption, possession or sale of alcohol are crimes that can lead to jail sentences, fines or flogging.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flagellate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flagellate. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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