flay

verb

flayed; flaying; flays

transitive verb

1
: to strip off the skin or surface of : skin
The hunter flayed the rabbit and prepared it for cooking.
2
: to criticize harshly : excoriate
He was flayed by the media for his controversial comments.
3
: lash sense 1b
the wind whipped up to gale fury, flaying his faceRichard Kent

Examples of flay in a Sentence

her husband flayed her constantly for her incessant shopping flayed their kill right there in the forest, taking both the meat and the skin home
Recent Examples on the Web The domestic political consequences are easy to predict: Abe would be flayed in the mass media, lose support among the Japanese public, and encounter opposition from others in his own party. Gerald L. Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2013 The narrator may be flayed open, but the other characters are held at arm’s length, vague and bloodless. Naomi Huffman, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2024 These days, 25 Water Street is getting flayed and disemboweled. Curbed, 24 Jan. 2024 Advertisement Trump was not alone in flaying California. Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2023 Fain flayed the White House for failing to attach to the loan safeguards to protect existing jobs. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023 Inside, a man is stretching skin on a flaying bench, and the stench of death is overwhelming. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023 At El Submarino, the bluish raw shrimp are flayed down the middle and fanned out in a molcajete, over cucumber and beneath red onion and avocado. Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 23 June 2023 Perfect for flaying open your heart on a summer afternoon, with a glass of something cool to soothe the sting. Olivia Waite, New York Times, 23 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English flen, from Old English flēan; akin to Old Norse flā to flay, Lithuanian plėšti to tear

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flay was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near flay

Cite this Entry

“Flay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flay. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

flay

verb
1
: to strip off the skin or surface of : skin
2
: to scold severely

More from Merriam-Webster on flay

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