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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
  • Goalkeeper Emi Martinez floated a ball over Ezri Konsa to Rogers, who exchanged passes with Joao Pedro before shifting sharply onto his right foot and whipping a shot just wide of David Raya’s far post.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Stand mixers are the best choice for things like kneading bread dough, whipping egg whites and mixing cookies, but blenders are best for breaking down more substantial foods to create beautifully smooth purees.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of whipping
Verb
  • The licking branch is just as important as the scrape beneath it.
    — Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Beware of lilies, which are toxic to cats; even chewing the leaves or licking pollen off their fur while grooming can be fatal.
    — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of licking
Verb
  • Who would’ve thought, for example, that Wallace was constantly hiding behind the lens of his trusty camera as a way to numb himself to the horrors of the world?
    — Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The horror heads are hyped, but this scaredy-cat will be hiding in the corner.
    — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of hiding
Verb
  • These are just two of the many scenes of destruction the hurricane has left in Hawaii after lashing the state’s western islands with heavy rain, widespread flooding and tropical-storm-force winds on Monday and Tuesday.
    — Liz Kreutz, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
  • This week’s meeting of G20 finance ministers underscored rising global trade tensions, with several countries, including the US, lashing out at China.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of lashing
Verb
  • The new approach, the research team explains, could replace the current slow, labor-intensive process, ultimately slashing the cost of production.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Lululemon is down more than 20% after reporting a weak quarter and slashing its full-year outlook.
    — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of slashing
Verb
  • Still, the stock is a table-pounding buy for analysts led by McShane.
    — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026
  • On offense, that means pounding the rock with a stout run game and letting that set up the passing attack.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 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
  • Her boyfriend was never charged, though he was sentenced to probation for battering a police officer about five weeks after Danielle was killed.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Across the country in Hawaii, Hurricane Lala grazed the state over the weekend, battering the islands with heavy rains and winds, but did not make landfall.
    — Peter Weber, TheWeek, 17 Aug. 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 17 Sep. 2026.

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