How to Use flagellate in a Sentence

flagellate

verb
  • And what’s up with those zealous, self-flagellating fauns?
    — Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, 31 Aug. 2019
  • Some of the penitents flagellated themselves while walking for hours, beseeching the Madonna to heal them or to cure their sick children.
    — Text By Gaia Pianigiani, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2017
  • Next month, Starbucks will have a self-flagellating session to command compassion in its stores.
    — Stu Bykofsky, Philly.com, 26 Apr. 2018
  • Tech companies have self-flagellated a lot on these issues.
    — Frank Bajak, SFChronicle.com, 14 Oct. 2019
  • But abstaining from them entirely can make our lives as cramped, joyless, bitter, and self-flagellating as obsessing about our looks does.
    — Charlotte Shane, The Cut, 3 Apr. 2018
  • Lowe, however, was almost self-flagellating in his acceptance speech.
    — Andy Gensler, Billboard, 13 June 2017
  • Long distance is a draining, self-flagellating enterprise.
    — Nicole Clark, The Cut, 18 Apr. 2018
  • Some go further, flagellating themselves or using a sword to strike their forehead to draw blood.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2026
  • In recent times, the series has been painstakingly flagellating itself for the past.
    — Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flagellate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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