1
as in to hide
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
students at the private school were once routinely birched for violating the rules
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
always a stern disciplinarian, our father birched anyone who talked back
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of birch
Becky Ferreira, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Nestled on a mountainside draped in maple and birch, perfumed by mountain laurel, their property is surrounded by the Black Mountains, ancient protectors of this magical place.
—Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 19 May 2025
Kerri Westenberg, Star Tribune, 11 Sep. 2020
See All Example Sentences for birch
Verb
For warty birch caterpillars, that means patrolling one of the tiniest territories on Earth: the tips of birch leaves.
—Becky Ferreira, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Nestled on a mountainside draped in maple and birch, perfumed by mountain laurel, their property is surrounded by the Black Mountains, ancient protectors of this magical place.
—Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 19 May 2025
Noun
Find yellow aspen and birch along the shoreline and red maples inland.
—Kerri Westenberg, Star Tribune, 11 Sep. 2020
See All Example Sentences for birch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for birch
Verb
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Instead, Boyd said, Lawson and his father were retrieving a car that had been taken from them earlier the night of the disappearance and hidden at a residence on Boston Road, which is north of Bluegrass Parkway.—
Killian Baarlaer,
The Courier-Journal,
8 July 2025
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Keep scrolling for more impressive Prime Day deals on hidden camera detectors hiding throughout the site, starting at $24.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
8 July 2025
Verb
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In the video, the mother dog stays close to her pup, licking him and standing over him protectively.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
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While her Nickelodeon and Disney peers have seemingly all had at least one major scandal to their names (ranging from incessant twerking and licking unpurchased donuts to near-fatal overdoses), Palmer’s celebrity was, in part, defined by her lack of verifiable scandals.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Beetles are essential decomposers in our hickory and oak boreal forests.—
Markis Hill,
Kansas City Star,
4 July 2025
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The meat tastes of hickory and applewood, with notes of citrus and pine from the hinoki.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
Verb
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Underneath her coat, Witherspoon wore an ankle-length black skirt and leather round-toe boots.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
28 Jan. 2025
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Compare with the Met’s full-size cast, from 1985, and these miniatures cleave the collective anguish into distinct emotions — one figure seems mid-dance, one bored, another ecstatic — in a range of patinas, from dark chocolate to leather.—
Walker Mimms,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In one particularly jarring example, under threat of being unplugged, Anthropic’s latest creation Claude 4 lashed back by blackmailing an engineer and threatened to reveal an extramarital affair.—
Thomas Urbain,
Fortune,
29 June 2025
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The president also lashed out at economists who predicted his administration’s tariffs could cause a recession.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Noun
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The handwoven rattan on this rectangular coffee table would look lovely in a space with coastal or bohemian vibes.—
Rachel Fletcher,
Architectural Digest,
24 June 2025
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Simply spray down the rattan occasionally to remove dust and dry the pieces after big storms to keep the set looking new.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 June 2025
Verb
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The comet will also whip by Mars on October 2 at 18 million miles (30 million kilometers) from the red planet.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
3 July 2025
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An Italian meringue involves carefully and slowly drizzling a hot sugar syrup into egg whites while whipping them.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
3 July 2025
Verb
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Hole-in-the-Wall, a unique rock formation that has a large arch carved through it by the relentless pounding of the ocean.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
7 July 2025
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On Friday, torrential rain pounded the region, causing the Guadalupe River in Kerr County to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes -- the second-highest on record, officials said .—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Birch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/birch. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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