as in whipping
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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Recent Examples of flagellating
Some go further, flagellating themselves or using a sword to strike their forehead to draw blood.
—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
His only way of finding any kind of life for himself is to embrace evil, to stop running away from it, to try to stop morally flagellating himself.
—
Charlotte Observer,
25 Feb. 2026
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
His only way of finding any kind of life for himself is to embrace evil, to stop running away from it, to try to stop morally flagellating himself.
—
Charlotte Observer,
25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flagellating
Verb
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Ospreay struck Strickland, who responded by whipping a chain at him.
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Vargas is accused of repeatedly whipping the cab’s hood with a belt, denting it, cops said.
Verb
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How does this relate to the ensuing flashbacks of a wounded Castle hiding with a mother and her daughter and his pulse-pounding jumps from one harrowing hot frying pan situation to another?
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Your closet cleanout is hiding money.
Verb
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Top brands are slashing prices on laptops and tablets, with discounts on favorites like Apple AirTags.
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While the marketplace’s official sale starts on June 23, some brands are already slashing prices, including Avidlove.
Verb
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Criminal Minds star Paget Brewster is apologizing after lashing out at a critic.
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Hurricane Fiona pummeled Puerto Rico in September 2022 as a Category 1 storm, lashing once more a power grid that hadn’t been rebuilt from Hurricane Maria.
Verb
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The soon-to-be 26-year-old left winger scored at the end of the first half on a breakaway, casually flicking the ball past Haitian goalkeeper Johny Placide.
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The Americans were less cohesive without Pulisic in the second half, but Reyna still added the finishing touch by gliding into the box and toe-flicking home his first World Cup goal.
Verb
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Their final side battle was ferocious and flailing.
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The chaos allows a Triarchy ship to harpoon Jace's dragon, Vermax, dragging the flailing creature down into the ocean, along with Rhaenyra's heir.
Verb
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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.
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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.
Verb
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The refs started handing out technical fouls like free samples, slapping Thomas and Hines-Allen with a double technical.
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Prosecutors dropped all charges against a bouncer for allegedly slapping a bar patron in February.
Cite this Entry
“Flagellating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flagellating. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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