Thesaurus results for FLAGELLATING

flagellating

verb

present participle of flagellate

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flagellating

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

The boyfriend of a 2-year-old boy's mother is facing felony charges after investigators accused him of hiding the child's body in the woods behind a Marietta apartment complex and lying to police.

— CBS News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
Few details of either incident were publicly available in real time because OPD encrypted its scanner traffic last year, hiding the activity of its officers.

— Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of hiding

Verb

One of those attacks was a bear slashing a man’s chest outside his home in North Canaan.

— Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
Senate Republicans have expressed wariness in recent days about the prospect of slashing those standards, which advocates say help keep kids safe and healthy.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of slashing

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

Within a few minutes, Hutchinson has his mobile out, happily flicking through the screensavers.

— Paul Taylor, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
His violent men — Scott’s sinister dad and Melton’s sad one — light cigarettes by flicking matches on their ears and teeth.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

Definition of flicking

Verb

So kudos to the extras who steal scenes from them in the background, flailing like avant-garde dancers when a vicious mental parasite leaps from grandmothers to joggers to security guards on a quest to find something awful.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Flushed and flailing during Schauf’s final countdown, her gum-chewing getting a little more exaggerated with each second, Cooper quipped that her handiwork might be better sealed under a closed casket.

— John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

Definition of flailing

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

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flagellates

flagellating

flagged

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“Flagellating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flagellating. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of flagellating

verb

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