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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They are not whipped again, but after all of that research, I sure am beat.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Sarah Jessica Parker and Amy Sedaris were sitting front row, with Parker whipping out her phone to film Reese.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There’s no attempt to hide the staging, although the accompanying musicians are mostly unseen.—
Will Hermes,
Rolling Stone,
19 Oct. 2025
-
In December 1978, Gacy confessed to kidnapping, raping and murdering dozens of boys and men, some as young as 14 years old, and hiding many of their bodies in a crawl space under the house.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Major job cuts have been expected even before the Skydance Media-Paramount Global deal closed, as part of Ellison and his team’s goal of slashing upwards of $2 billion in costs.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
18 Oct. 2025
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In August, the city laid off 169 workers and slashed hundreds of vacant positions to make up for part of that shortfall.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
18 Oct. 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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In a post-draft interview on the Bills’ flagship radio station WGR 550-AM, Beane lashed out at the hosts for criticizing his lack of attention to wide receiver throughout the offseason.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Andy lashed the feet tightly and then grabbed the loose end of the rope.—
Bob Cary,
Outdoor Life,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Mirrors have a patina, coffee tables are leathered and trunk-like.—
Elise Taylor,
Vogue,
8 Oct. 2025
-
In September, Polène unveiled a collaboration with Chinese glass artist Jinya Zhao, which took the shape of a geometric sculpture made of blown glass and leather off-cuts and created in two watercolor gradients of lavender and amber.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The New York Jets are flailing, still trying to crack the seal for their first win of 2025.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
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According to the Money Doctor, the administration’s interest in a plan that would substitute the dollar for the flailing Argentine peso has greatly intensified in recent weeks as Milei’s political fortunes have weakened.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Others have called out the boring marketing campaign based around flogging variants in order for Swift to finally beat the record for the biggest opening sales week for a female artist in history (currently held by Adele, which she is likely projected to break).—
Bianca Davino,
Refinery29,
7 Oct. 2025
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The only thing tougher to watch than the Bengals’ offense on Sunday was Browning flogging himself over the failure.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flagellate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flagellate. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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