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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Take it from us and whip out this gem for special occasions versus everyday wear, as Gucci recommends shielding it from direct light, heat, and rain.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
10 Apr. 2025
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In the early hours of April 21, 1775, gale-force winds whipped across the town square, driving the shivering sentries from their posts to the shelter of their beds.—
Andrew Lawler,
Smithsonian Magazine,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The titles of 12 such books — some of which may have been published before 2025 — are hidden below within an unrelated text passage.—
J. D. Biersdorfer,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Read Next World Palace gardens hid 900-year-old ruins of bathhouse in Spain — until now.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Trump administration wants to significantly cut NASA’s budget next year, slashing science research funding in half, a reduction that would halt the launch of a high-tech space telescope and curtail other planetary exploration missions.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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Nimmo is slashing mere .202/.253/.381 this season, but Sunday’s heroics could be a sign of changing fortune.—
James O'Connell,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 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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Verdugo lashed hard line drives in his first two at-bats with the Braves, off Twins pitcher Chris Paddack.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Apr. 2025
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A day after his remarks, the president lashed out against the Fed chair.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 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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The flailing support comes as aggressive and sweeping tariffs have sparked a global trade war and sunk U.S. stocks.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
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The flailing power play was 0-for-4 on Wednesday and produced five total shots with the advantage; the best scoring chance of those three third-period power plays was Matt Boldy’s short-handed try for Minnesota.—
Arthur Staple,
New York Times,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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At the risk of flogging whatever’s left of Secretariat, Clark is the WNBA’s horse whisperer.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
7 Mar. 2025
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Stop flogging yourself over something that is nobody’s beeswax.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flagellate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flagellate. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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