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
Some go further, flagellating themselves or using a sword to strike their forehead to draw blood.
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Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
In the mid-eighties, Habermas went after conservative historians who felt that Germans should no longer flagellate themselves over the Nazi past.
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Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
His only way of finding any kind of life for himself is to embrace evil, to stop running away from it, to try to stop morally flagellating himself.
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Charlotte Observer,
25 Feb. 2026
Please, more of Isabella lightly teasing Marty about his tendency to flagellate himself while considering the agony of the human condition.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flagellate
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
In the mid-eighties, Habermas went after conservative historians who felt that Germans should no longer flagellate themselves over the Nazi past.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
His only way of finding any kind of life for himself is to embrace evil, to stop running away from it, to try to stop morally flagellating himself.
—
Charlotte Observer,
25 Feb. 2026
Please, more of Isabella lightly teasing Marty about his tendency to flagellate himself while considering the agony of the human condition.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flagellate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flagellate
Verb
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Police have arrested a 22-year-old man who was caught on camera whipping a yellow taxi cab with a belt, damaging the hood, following the Knicks’ comeback victory in Game 4 of the NBA finals, officials said Friday.
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Democrats work ceaselessly to whip the American people into a frenzy of hate and conflict.
Verb
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Below the dash, the center console is simplified with a small panel of control buttons, a wireless phone charge pad, cup holders and an arm rest that hides a bit of storage space.
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But there are some incredible deals hiding online—and some even include brand-new items.
Verb
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The billionaire was an early ally and donor to the president, but left acrimoniously after a four-month stint as a special government employee running the contentious budget-slashing effort known as DOGE.
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Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry has vowed to slash his team’s exorbitant payroll to get below the luxury tax threshold.
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.
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In reality, Watson wasn’t a bar fighter or famous for horsewhipping cowboys.
Verb
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Sydney briefly, and understandably, succumbed to the impulse to lash out, something that Carmy has done on more than one occasion while acting as head chef.
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Continue reading … SEISMIC SUPPORT — AOC lashes out at Trump for 'betrayal' of voters after key SCOTUS immigration ruling.
Verb
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There was lace everywhere and leather too.
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From Ikebana studios in Kyoto to leather workshops in Florence and tartan looms in Stirling, a growing number of trips now build entire itineraries around a single craft.
Verb
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But the show still makes its point that the world of this play has narcissistic aggressors and flailing victims, and those who fall into both of those categories.
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Their final side battle was ferocious and flailing.
Verb
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And a few, like Giuliana Rancic, will flog some specific Pratt issues, like the brutal state of the city’s animal shelters.
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That stickability probably owes as much to the franchise's unconventional toy-first origins as its unprecedented ability to flog merchandise.
Cite this Entry
“Flagellate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flagellate. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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