birch

1 to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible students at the private school were once routinely birched for violating the rules Synonyms whip, cowhide, flagellate, flail, flog, hide, horsewhip, lash, leather, rawhide, scourge, slash, switch, tan, thrash, whaleRelated Words knout, quirt, strap; cut; flick, touch up; blackjack, cane, club, cudgel, fustigate; pistol-whip; bang, bop, box, bust, clap, clip, clobber, clout, crack, cuff, hit, knock, lam, paste, punch, slap, slug, smack, smite, sock, spank, swat, swipe, thwack, wallop, whack; bash, baste, bat, batter, beat, belabor, belt, bludgeon, buffet, bung, drub, fib [British], hammer, lace, lambaste (or lambast), lather, lick, mangle, maul, paddle, pelt, pommel, pound, pummel, rough, slate, slog, thresh, thump, tromp, whop (or whap), whup, work over

2 to strike repeatedly always a stern disciplinarian, our father birched anyone who talked back Synonyms bash, baste, bat, batter, belabor, belt, beat, bludgeon, buffet, bung up, club, curry, do, drub, fib [British], flog, hammer, hide, lace, lambaste (or lambast), lash, lather, lick, maul, mess (up), paddle, pelt, pommel, pound, pummel, punch out, rough (up), slate, slog, switch, tan, thrash, thresh, thump, tromp, wallop, whale, whip, whop (or whap), whup, work overRelated Words assail, assault, attack, beset, box, bust, chop, clobber, clout, crack, cudgel, cuff, descend (on or upon), hit, jump (on), knock, lam, lay on, paste, pounce (on or upon), punch, raid, rush, slam, slap, smack, smash, sock, spank, storm, swat, swipe, thwack, whack, wham, whomp; blackjack, cane, cowhide, flagellate, fustigate, horsewhip, leather, pistol-whip, rawhide, scourge, strap; gore, lacerate, wound; maim, mangle, mutilate