as in to whip
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
some medieval monks believed it was necessary to flagellate themselves in order to keep their desires in check
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flagellate
For Logan, none of these self-flagellating exercises mattered.
—
Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2023
One Peruvian candidate has taken time to talk about his habit of wearing a wire chain, known as a cilice, every day to flagellate himself.
—Star Tribune, 8 Apr. 2021
All are said to have had affairs with Lucian Freud (was there anyone who didn’t?), three with Arthur Koestler and one with Egypt’s King Farouk (who liked to flagellate her on the steps of the royal palace with his dressing-gown cord).
—Moira Hodgson, WSJ, 31 Jan. 2020
Muslims were mobilizing; once, Mr. Rizvi visited during Muharram, an annual ritual of mourning, and found her surrounded by pilgrims, flagellating themselves with chains to which razor blades had been attached.
—Ellen Barry, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2019
See All Example Sentences for flagellate
Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2023
One Peruvian candidate has taken time to talk about his habit of wearing a wire chain, known as a cilice, every day to flagellate himself.
—Star Tribune, 8 Apr. 2021
All are said to have had affairs with Lucian Freud (was there anyone who didn’t?), three with Arthur Koestler and one with Egypt’s King Farouk (who liked to flagellate her on the steps of the royal palace with his dressing-gown cord).
—Moira Hodgson, WSJ, 31 Jan. 2020
Muslims were mobilizing; once, Mr. Rizvi visited during Muharram, an annual ritual of mourning, and found her surrounded by pilgrims, flagellating themselves with chains to which razor blades had been attached.
—Ellen Barry, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2019
See All Example Sentences for flagellate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flagellate
Verb
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Caballero looked on the verge of tears as the Ivorian whipped the ball into the corner, a heroic performance from a back-up goalkeeper who’d played in every previous round to repay manager Manuel Pellegrini’s faith.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
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Made with 92 percent natural ingredients, the gentle, sulfate-free shampoo is whipped with tea tree and peppermint oils, which help create a healthy pH balance on the scalp and smell like a spa.—
Jenny Berg,
Allure,
17 May 2025
Verb
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Each level is also absolutely crawling with secret collectibles hidden in various nooks and crannies, which often tease you with a glimpse through a hole in some impassable wall or rock formation.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
9 May 2025
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The boy hides aloft in the Sycamore Gap tree's branches.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
Verb
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The result is a leaner, more transparent value chain that slashes transit times, anchors skilled jobs at home, and gives automakers, wind-turbine producers, battery materials manufacturers, and aerospace primes a domestic alternative to long-distance supply lines.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
-
Read Next State Politics Plan to slash property taxes passes Idaho House.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
15 May 2025
Verb
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The Speccie’s star columnist is the rudest man in Christendom, the Godzilla of contumely, an all-time non-sufferer of fools who horsewhips his targets the way Hunter S. Thompson and Christopher Hitchens once did.—
Kyle Smith,
National Review,
23 Apr. 2020
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In reality, Watson wasn’t a bar fighter or famous for horsewhipping cowboys.—
Eliza McGraw,
Smithsonian,
12 Mar. 2018
Verb
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As judges have ruled against the Trump administration, the president and his allies have lashed out in response, suggesting judges should not be allowed to constrain Trump's presidential actions and calling for judges to be impeached.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
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The Journal’s editorial page has weighed in multiple times against Trump’s tariffs, and the president has in turn lashed out at the publication.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
8 May 2025
Verb
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Underneath her coat, Witherspoon wore an ankle-length black skirt and leather round-toe boots.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
28 Jan. 2025
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Compare with the Met’s full-size cast, from 1985, and these miniatures cleave the collective anguish into distinct emotions — one figure seems mid-dance, one bored, another ecstatic — in a range of patinas, from dark chocolate to leather.—
Walker Mimms,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Your browser does not support the video tag. Bruised and flailing, the Cavs return home to try to force a Game 6.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
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But while liberalism flails, populism offers few actual solutions to Europe's fiscal woes.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
Verb
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Stop flogging yourself over something that is nobody’s beeswax.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2025
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At the risk of flogging whatever’s left of Secretariat, Clark is the WNBA’s horse whisperer.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flagellate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flagellate. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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