1
as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
her husband flayed her constantly for her incessant shopping
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flay
Clark, who wore a mischievous smile, flayed her arm once more for the dramatics before stepping on the court and finishing a defensive drill.
—
James Boyd, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
If the robot, who frequently metamorphoses, gives shape to some form of justice, it’s flayed down to a name.
—Elisa Gonzalez, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
The radical potential of the scene has mostly evaporated, flattened and flayed into vague signifiers.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Oct. 2024
Stripped to the bone and flayed by her ugly experiences, both during and for years after, Lidia is emotionally naked, unable even to ask for or accept help.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for flay
James Boyd, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
If the robot, who frequently metamorphoses, gives shape to some form of justice, it’s flayed down to a name.
—Elisa Gonzalez, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
The radical potential of the scene has mostly evaporated, flattened and flayed into vague signifiers.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Oct. 2024
Stripped to the bone and flayed by her ugly experiences, both during and for years after, Lidia is emotionally naked, unable even to ask for or accept help.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for flay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flay
Verb
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Shipp is tasked with scolding her father and delivering leaden exposition.—
Esther Zuckerman,
IndieWire,
11 Sep. 2025
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In Part 2, viewers see Morticia scold her children for lying to her, yet Morticia is keeping secrets from Wednesday about her past and family.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For a time she was asked to lecture new volunteers … until she was asked not to.—
Mimi Pond,
People.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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In between all the jokes, the film stops more than once to basically lecture on this sad state of affairs, an admirable Sturges-like approach that gets laid on thick, perhaps too thick to merge successfully with the largely comedic rhythm Ansari has established so well.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tensions are high on campuses after the assassination, with some professors getting fired or reprimanded for celebrations of the conservative commentator’s death.—
Lexi Lonas Cochran,
The Hill,
13 Sep. 2025
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San Juan Unified School District Trustee Nick Bloise was formally reprimanded by the board in relation to his behavior during a school site visit.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flay. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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