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
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flagellates
Verb
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When a dog repeatedly wags and whips its tail against hard surfaces, the tip can split open, bruise or break.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Jan. 2026 -
Benbrook whips Diamond Hill-Jarvis Benbrook stayed on pace for a playoff berth in District 8-4A as the Lady Bobcats thumped Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis 55-7.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Wall hooks catch sun hats or coats, depending on the season, and the vintage Oushak rug hides stains with its existing patina.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2026
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This party-girl persona hides a tender heart.—
E.R. Pulgar,
Pitchfork,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The proposal slashes funding to the agency’s science program by 46 percent—a cut similar to what had been proposed in the president’s budget request for the current fiscal year.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
9 Apr. 2026
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Through careful tuning of an extended Kalman filter and by taking advantage of bamboo’s natural vibration-damping properties, the system slashes control latency from 15–20 milliseconds down to just 8–10 milliseconds, enhancing responsiveness while keeping flight stable.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While Dad is developing photos in his darkroom, Jeremy flicks on the lights.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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In the video, the snake flicks its tongue, a common sensory behavior used to detect chemical cues in the air and identify nearby prey or potential predators.—
Jasmine Mendez
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The lens switches from distant to close subjects in a snap.—
Jim Fisher,
PC Magazine,
6 Apr. 2026
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With the session ticking towards the two-hour mark, Mudryk switches to shots from outside the box.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Premiums are poised to rise next year as the party flails on whether to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
16 Dec. 2025
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The 16-year-old flails her arms, thrashes and kicks — sometimes for hours.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Trump lashes out at NATO and the Pope, again.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
15 Apr. 2026
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The brand’s hero reusable Plushy lashes retail for $25 a pair, while the brand’s Control Kits, which include application tools, retail for about $125.—
Noor Lobad,
Footwear News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The 16-year-old flails her arms, thrashes and kicks — sometimes for hours.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
5 Dec. 2025
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Framed by her Pepto-pink hair — another Moisturizer-era change — Teasdale bodyrolls and thrashes around, singing so wildly that the edges of her mouth seem to disappear.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Flagellates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flagellates. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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