1
as in whipped
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
Relevance
2
as in licked
to strike repeatedly
always a stern disciplinarian, our father birched anyone who talked back
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for birched
Verb
-
In the Palm Springs North community on Tuesday, the tornado whipped across a lake and a couple of residential blocks, according to weather service meteorologist Ana Torres-Vazquez.—
Sofia Saric,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026 -
As the Orion capsule whipped around the back side of the moon Monday, Earth was out of sight — and the crew was unable to communicate to Mission Control for about 40 minutes due to the moon blocking a connection to the Deep Space Network.—
Brendan Byrne,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rumor has it the fashion crowd licked the shelves clean in Paris as soon as the first designs hit stores.—
Christina Holevas,
Vogue,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Of course, the flue was closed, so the fire licked up the walls, left a smell like the fall, like ancient smokehouses and dung.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Suarez lashed seven shots towards goal on his debut against Casa Pia, going closest after a stomping run in-behind the defence and a sharp shot into the side netting.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Spencer Pratt lashed out at the Los Angeles Times and a rival mayoral candidate, accusing a reporter of harassing his family and trying to expose where his children live as his campaign gains traction in the polls.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Tisch said the suspect slashed one person on a platform at the Grand Central station before going upstairs and slashing the other victims on another platform.—
Julie Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Recent Iran attacks on a crucial Saudi pipeline have also slashed the kingdom's oil output, Saudi Arabia's state news agency said Thursday.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And with that, almost as a warning, the skies opened up and the market was pounded with rain.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Jorge Mateo had four hits, Dominic Smith launched a two-run homer and Chris Sale cruised to his third win of the season as the Atlanta Braves pounded the Cleveland Guardians 13-1 on Sunday night.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The media flagged and flogged it for AI incompetence.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
25 Jan. 2026
-
To be publicly flogged for how much Pa permitted us to do — that felt grossly unfair.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
But, battered by supply chain woes as a result of the import tax, hiked energy prices thanks to the Iran war, and nervous consumers bracing for recession, many large companies are scrambling for cash.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Police said the man battered a person inside the home before running off.—
Elyssa Kaufman,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The snake rattled angrily, thrashed wildly, and sprayed considerable rattlesnake musk or scent.—
Dr. C. E. Kuschel,
Outdoor Life,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Being thrashed 5-1 by a Southampton team who had started the night one point and one place behind Phil Parkinson’s side in the table was bad enough.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Birched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/birched. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
