birching

verb

present participle of birch
1
as in whipping
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 licking
to strike repeatedly always a stern disciplinarian, our father birched anyone who talked back

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for birching
  1. whipping
  2. licking
  3. hiding
  4. lashing
  5. slashing
  6. pounding
  7. flogging
  8. battering
Verb
  • In September 2022, Brandon Sanchez, a member of the show cast, documented a riding lesson in an email to management and HR, describing Garcia berating riders and whipping a Friesian horse for an extended period.
    — Alessandra Schade, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
  • By far, the easiest way to decongest my pores is whipping out one of the Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads and giving my T-zone a very proper run-through.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of whipping
Verb
  • That’s not exactly chump change, considering Atlanta was still licking its wounds after the Great Depression.
    — Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026
  • After contracting the plague, he was banished to a cave, where a dog brought him bread and healed his wounds by licking them.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of licking
Verb
  • President Barack Obama had gathered his advisors to assess intelligence that indicated Osama Bin Laden was hiding in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
    — Keren Yarhi-Milo, Time, 8 Nov. 2026
  • San Diego professes pride in high graduation rates, but this is a chimera hiding the sad truth of how far our educational leaders will go to look good.
    — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of hiding
Verb
  • Most of the students were accused of minor offenses, like making threats, using cannabis vapes or lashing out at classmates or teachers, the analysis found.
    — Kristian Hernández, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • More students ages 10 to 13 are ending up in the justice system after vaping, making threats and lashing out at school.
    — Rosie Cima, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of lashing
Verb
  • Medicare could soon save beneficiaries over a billion dollars on prescription drugs — without slashing the price of a single medicine.
    — Ted Okon, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Republican Scott Walker won that year, and over the next eight years enacted a wide array of Republican priorities that included drastically scaling back union rights, slashing taxes and requiring voters to show identification at the polls.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of slashing
Verb
  • At the bottom of the slope, dozens of protective barriers have been installed as a buffer from waves pounding the shoreline.
    — Michele Gile, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026
  • When defenses do catch up, McQuillan — like her teammates — have the green light to keep pounding away.
    — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of pounding
Verb
  • The Taliban bans filming in public areas where flogging as well as stoning takes place, but MA says that individuals who oppose the practice have been discretely filming these events, then posting the video.
    — Ruchi Kumar, NPR, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Rubin, who has built a business flogging sports merchandising and collectibles, is renowned for his annual White Party in the exclusive Hamptons, near New York City.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of flogging
Verb
  • An Osceola County deputy sheriff was arrested this week, accused of manhandling a 67-year-old woman and falsely charging her with battering him during an early-morning traffic stop, the Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday.
    — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • As the storm moved eastward into continental Europe, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport warned travelers of cancellations and delays of flights to and from the busy aviation hub caused by strong winds that were battering the Netherlands.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of battering
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.

Browse Nearby Words

birches
birching
bird
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Cite this Entry

“Birching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/birching. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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