1
as in to whip
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
a graphic depiction of a sailor being flogged by the captain for disobeying orders
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2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
was fined heavily for flogging a horse
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3
as in to stomp
British
to move heavily or clumsily
for most of the night, searchers flogged through the marsh, crying out for the lost child
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4
as in to stumble
British
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
ignoring the groans and catcalls that his speech was provoking, the backbencher flogged away
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flog
Their calls were ruthlessly crushed, with leaders flogged or jailed.
—
Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2025
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
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
The Black Death and its aftermath saw a great resurgence of apocalyptic flagellation, with thousands of adherents flogging themselves up and down the Continent (the movement failed to take off in England, which figures).
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flog
Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2025
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
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
The Black Death and its aftermath saw a great resurgence of apocalyptic flagellation, with thousands of adherents flogging themselves up and down the Continent (the movement failed to take off in England, which figures).
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flog
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flog
Verb
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For 10 minutes, Boyd took in the scene as the flags whipped above the center-field scoreboard, Cubs infielders took grounders and stadium workers finished final preparations before 39,712 fans streamed into the ballpark.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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This pizza has soppressata, whipped ricotta and drizzles of hot honey.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The department shared photos of Ziggy, still wearing a bandage on his left hind leg, jumping up and licking Spring's face during a recent visit.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
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Seals off The San Diego Seals (6-8) are off this weekend and licking their wounds following a crushing 9-8 home loss to Buffalo on Saturday.—
Ivan Carter,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Frustration boiled over on the Huskies’ sideline as Hurley stomped his foot and earned a technical foul from referee James Breeding with 12 and a half minutes left in the half.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
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In the span of six days, the Cornhuskers beat rival Creighton at home and stomped Wisconsin and then went to Illinois for their first Big Ten road game.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Kansas City Royals ace Cole Ragans stumbled off the mound in the first inning of Friday evening’s season opener at Truist Park.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
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Bleeding heavily, Waaler stumbles into a corridor and slowly takes his last breath as Hole, who jumped out at the floor above and ran back downstairs, watches, gun in hand.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Controversial school policies hiding students’ gender transitions from parents remains a ripe issue the Supreme Court should take up, activists argue, despite the justices already handing parents a win in an emergency docket case on the matter earlier this month.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
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But her lover, the increasingly controlling and unhinged army corporal Don José, is gradually dimished to lurking in the shadows and hiding in crowds.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One side of the brush features short, dense bristles that deposit rich black color and build volume, while the longer bristles on the other side help guide lashes upward.—
Lily Wohlner,
Allure,
28 Mar. 2026
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Toward the end of the final episode of Love Story, Constance Zimmer’s Ann Messina Freeman lashes out at Caroline Kennedy over her daughters’ deaths.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Royals shuffled their outfield this offseason.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
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The living room has been moved to the second floor in the plans and other rooms were shuffled around, though the project’s size and general design remain roughly the same.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Indonesia was already struggling to meet targets to retire coal plants early, with financing delays even before the Iran war.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Mar. 2026
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Even as Queen City Quarter struggles to attract new businesses, three of its tenants face eviction for unpaid rent at the former Epicentre food and entertainment complex in uptown Charlotte.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flog. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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