as in whips
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flagellates
Verb
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When a dog repeatedly wags and whips its tail against hard surfaces, the tip can split open, bruise or break.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Jan. 2026 -
Benbrook whips Diamond Hill-Jarvis Benbrook stayed on pace for a playoff berth in District 8-4A as the Lady Bobcats thumped Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis 55-7.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When season two begins, viewers meet a beautiful young Hispanic woman named Luz (Jeannine Mason), who hides on a boat traveling to a remote island, perhaps in the Caribbean, to make a liquor delivery for a wealthy businessman named Richard Helvig.—
Demetrius Patterson,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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There are wool blankets draped atop cow print chairs, lambskin hides on the bar stools and a casual Dom Perignon on the menu.—
USA TODAY NETWORK,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Orchestrated by a central process orchestration layer such as zenon, this approach accelerates scale-up from lab to full production, slashes changeover time, reduces waste, and breaks vendor lock‑in while protecting existing assets and enabling continuous improvement.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
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The system slashes both capital expenditure and long-term maintenance costs.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As a director, his credits include A Family Man starring Gerard Butler, as well as the Liam Neeson flicks Honest Thief and Blacklight.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
5 Feb. 2026
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Think Judd Apatow flicks with Steve Carell and Seth Rogen, or sitcoms starring Charlie Sheen.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Asics Superblast 3, which has been announced for a March launch, switches from the FlyteFoam Turbo Plus midsole of its predecessor to FF Leap, the most advanced foam in Asics’ fleet that comes over from its Metaspeed Sky/Edge Tokyo and Metaspeed Ray super shoes.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
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Chef-owner Josh Dalton regularly switches up the chef's tasting menu, cocktail and wine offerings, and even the decor with recent supper clubs inspired by his travels to Mexico, Japan, the Mediterranean and Thailand, or by concepts such as color or carnivals.—
USA TODAY NETWORK,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Premiums are poised to rise next year as the party flails on whether to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
16 Dec. 2025
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The 16-year-old flails her arms, thrashes and kicks — sometimes for hours.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Hard Truths premiered at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival and followed Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Pansy, an angry and depressed woman who lashes out at family and strangers, and whose constant criticism slowly isolates her.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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According to Augustinus Bader, apply to brows and lashes morning and night.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The 16-year-old flails her arms, thrashes and kicks — sometimes for hours.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
5 Dec. 2025
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Framed by her Pepto-pink hair — another Moisturizer-era change — Teasdale bodyrolls and thrashes around, singing so wildly that the edges of her mouth seem to disappear.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Flagellates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flagellates. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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