as in whips
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flagellates
Verb
-
To accomplish this, Barton turned to the fundamental dance technique of spotting, where the dancer finds a focal point in front of them and whips their head around to hold that focus spot and keep themself centered.—
Oliver Sava,
Vulture,
28 Aug. 2025 -
Wind whips both the sound waves and temperatures around, so bring a blanket even if it’s not forecast to rain or hail.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The fog may roll in, but the coastline never hides for long.—
Lauren Mowery,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Maddie hides her binging and purging from Deena and Jake, lying about being pregnant to distract her husband from what’s really going on.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This high-speed rotation slashes production time for cylindrical components by more than two-thirds.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The recession warning even assumes the Federal Reserve slashes rates, starting next month.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The scene flicks to a flashback of Henry at war, which then switches to Henry in his previous timeline suffering from a nightmare.—
Lincee Ray Published,
EW.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Continued Tweaks Are Likely The latter problem may eventually solve itself if MLS eventually switches – as many expect – to a fall-to-spring schedule.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Shot in a colorfully naturalistic style by Irina Lubtchansky (My Golden Days), the film occasionally switches to what looks like Super 8mm, capturing the action more intimately and playfully.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Then, there’s the one about the two Asian guys who are harnessed to a chariot and made to pull it along, like horses, with bits in their mouths, while this other Asian guy, holding the reins, lashes them with a whip.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Usually, when one partner lashes out, the other responds in kind.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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
“Flagellates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flagellates. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share