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
  • Battered cars with numbers sprayed on their sides are whipping around the dirt track of the Lebanon Valley Speedway, loose fenders flopping like overgrown bangs in the swirling dust.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Iguanas usually go viral for other reasons Iguanas are usually quick-moving and run away from their would-be captors with their long tails whipping behind them.
    — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Definition of whipping
Verb
  • Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, admitted to licking the straw and returning it to the vending machine while recording the act for his online followers.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
  • That means no tasting cookie dough made with raw eggs, no licking brownie batter off the beaters, and no homemade Caesar dressing made with uncooked yolks.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 23 July 2026
Definition of licking
Verb
  • Pittsboro has neither beaches nor mountains, but don’t count it out as a relaxing getaway just yet; this small town is hiding a Relais & Châteaux inn, restaurant, and spa.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Ligdis called emergency services to report his trespassing while hiding in the laundry room.
    — Eleanor Jacobs, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of hiding
Verb
  • The president has responded to the MAGA criticism by lashing out repeatedly at dissenters, prompting Greene – once a top Trump supporter – not to run for reelection and Massie to lose his primary.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Koivun launched himself into the lead at TPC Twin Cities by lashing a 305-yard approach shot to 12 feet on the par-5 12th hole.
    — Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of lashing
Verb
  • The Post underwent a round of severe layoffs earlier this year, slashing a third of its workforce, ending its books coverage, and slimming down its metro and international staffs, among other cuts.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 31 July 2026
  • Amazon just put a variety of MacBooks on sale, slashing up to $500 off the most expensive MacBook Pro configurations.
    — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 29 July 2026
Definition of slashing
Verb
  • Williams braved pounding surf and massive waves to bring a struggling 10-year-old boy safely back to shore, as Fox News Digital reported.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • During the rescue, which was caught on video, 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams and another lifeguard pulled a 10-year-old to safety amid pounding waves.
    — Tim Fang, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of pounding
Verb
  • So, that is one gig at a completely unnecessary addition to the sports calendar, created by corporate interests for the sole intention of flogging products to people who do not really like sport… and another at the Enhanced Games.
    — Matt Slater, New York Times, 23 May 2026
  • In an even more meta moment, Amazon interrupted its own Upfront with actual ads with Summer House star Paige DeSorbo flogging certain items to an increasingly frustrated audience.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 11 May 2026
Definition of flogging
Verb
  • Its forces are battering Iran’s coast – military installations, bridges, airports, port facilities – to neutralise the Iranian military’s hold on the strait.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 25 July 2026
  • Because of battering wind shear, the convective storms typical of the center of a cyclone are in a band over the Gulf to Bertha's south and southeast.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 22 July 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.

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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 6 Aug. 2026.

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