flog

verb

\ ˈfläg

flogged; flogging

Definition of flog

transitive verb

1a : to beat with or as if with a rod or whip The sailors were flogged for attempting a mutiny.

b : to criticize harshly He was flogged in the press for failing to take action.

2 : to force or urge into action : drive

3a chiefly British : to sell (something, such as stolen goods) illegally flogged their employers' petrol to ordinary motorists — Economist

b : sell sense 7 traveled by horse, flogging encyclopedias— Robert Darnton flogging wares at the local discount outlet— Ronald Henkoff

c : to promote aggressively : plug flying around the world flogging your movies— Peter Bogdanovich

4 British : steal sense 1

intransitive verb

1 : flap, flutter sails flogging

2 British : to move along with difficulty : slog

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Examples of flog in a Sentence

The sailors were flogged for attempting a mutiny. a graphic depiction of a sailor being flogged by the captain for disobeying orders

Recent Examples on the Web

In addition to arbitrary jail sentences, human rights groups report women being arrested and flogged by the police. — Bridget Read, Vogue, "The Women of the Sudan Uprising Are Demanding to Be Heard," 9 Apr. 2019 That way, the app can simply scoop up data and flog it on with minimal effort. — Sean Keach, Fox News, "iPhone apps blasted for selling your exact location - do you have these on your phone?," 10 Sep. 2018 In other hands this might have been one more junkie saga, focused on a down-and-out musician during one last dreary tour, flogging an album that no one wants to buy. — Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, "‘Nico, 1988’ Review: Heroin and Heroine," 2 Aug. 2018 While Fiat Chrysler Automobiles ’ price-setters should be flogged for profiteering, the redesigned 2019 Ram 1500 does indeed set new benchmarks for pickup-truck refinement, cabin content, efficiency and enormity. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "A Luxury Truck Showdown: Ram 1500 vs. GMC Sierra," 11 Oct. 2018 Younis had been detained and flogged by IS militants for selling cigarettes on the black market to make ends meet, according to his mother, Nada Hassan. — Hamza Hendawi, Washington Post, "A neighbor’s word can bring death sentence in Iraq IS trials," 9 July 2018 Younis had been detained and flogged by IS militants for selling cigarettes on the black market to make ends meet, according to his mother, Nada Hassan. — Hamza Hendawi, Fox News, "A neighbor's word can bring death sentence in Iraq IS trials," 9 July 2018 And Spain has flogged its tiki-taka game of possession and passing to death and needs to find a new path to victory and without midfielder Andres Iniesta, who retired after Spain's loss to Russia in the first knockout round. — John Leicester, chicagotribune.com, "With World Cup title, France could launch a dynasty," 10 July 2018 The car is comfortable enough, however, and reasonably quiet except when the little engine is flogged. — Al Haas, Philly.com, "Nissan's Kicks is a cute, useful hatchback, not a crossover," 5 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flog.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.