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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Example Sentences
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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
-
On a Friday night in February on East Sixth Street, a steely-eyed bar doorman rushed around a crowd agitating on the sidewalk and whipped a flashlight above his shoulder.—
Ella McCarthy,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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While the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has begun rolling back its shoes-off policy at security checkpoints, this ability to whip them off and on in seconds is still majorly convenient for travel.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
29 July 2025
Verb
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Zakrzewski bought a machete during his lunch break, took it home and sharpened it before hiding it and a crowbar, according to court records.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
1 Aug. 2025
-
The lawsuit accuses Tucson police of hiding or destroying evidence in the case, including radar evidence of Wadsack's speed, Pettey's recording of her conversation with Wadsack and several minutes of audio on Schrage's bodycam footage.—
Sarah Lapidus,
AZCentral.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Opposition parties have since stymied Lai's agenda, refusing to approve constitutional court justices, slashing spending, and cutting defense budgets.—
Jan Camenzind Broomby,
NPR,
26 July 2025
-
During his first term, Trump repeatedly lambasted the Fed chair for failing to slash rates quickly and aggressively enough, but his offensive has been far more strident in his current tenure.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
25 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
-
In reality, Watson wasn’t a bar fighter or famous for horsewhipping cowboys.—
Eliza McGraw,
Smithsonian,
12 Mar. 2018
Verb
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The face of the franchise lashed at a breaking ball in the fifth, pulling a hit onto open grass to double the lead.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
26 July 2025
-
Following that news, NFL fans have lashed out at the team.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 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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But over the last week, Mora has started three times for his country, tip-tapping between flailing legs with the ball at his feet, his confidence and dribbling ability utterly defying his years.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Verb
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More than 250 authors and vendors flogged books, records, comics, posters, and just about anything folks with penchant for print might purchase.—
M.L. Elrick,
Freep.com,
21 July 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Flagellate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flagellate. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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