1
as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
her husband flayed her constantly for her incessant shopping
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flay
This led to the investigation of Gein’s farm that unearthed his atrocities, including Worden’s body being decapitated, flayed, and hung in his shed.
—
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2025
These include thinning fabric, stretching or sagging, holes, flaying, and heavy pilling.
—Gabi De La Rosa, Southern Living, 1 July 2025
Separating fact from invention is difficult, but there have been rumors that there was more than one murderer, the killing was drug-related and — perhaps most disturbingly — that Driscoll was either dismembered or flayed alive.
—Alex Heigl, People.com, 18 May 2025
Clark, who wore a mischievous smile, flayed her arm once more for the dramatics before stepping on the court and finishing a defensive drill.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flay
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2025
These include thinning fabric, stretching or sagging, holes, flaying, and heavy pilling.
—Gabi De La Rosa, Southern Living, 1 July 2025
Separating fact from invention is difficult, but there have been rumors that there was more than one murderer, the killing was drug-related and — perhaps most disturbingly — that Driscoll was either dismembered or flayed alive.
—Alex Heigl, People.com, 18 May 2025
Clark, who wore a mischievous smile, flayed her arm once more for the dramatics before stepping on the court and finishing a defensive drill.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flay
Verb
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At one point her mother, Ri Sol Ju, appears to gently scold her for some transgression as Kim watches with a broad smile.—
Jen Kwon,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
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But Saxon said Ye kept him constantly on edge, demanding photo updates of construction work, scolding him for wearing blue instead of the all-black worker uniform Ye preferred, and suddenly adding 24/7 security duties to his workload.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Assistive listening studies report that bypassing room acoustics and delivering audio directly can improve signal‑to‑noise ratios by 15–20 dB, making announcements comprehensible and lectures clearer [8].—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
26 Feb. 2026
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That includes lecturing, building curriculum, pursuing research and speaking about university policy.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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According to The Associated Press, LaBeouf was reprimanded for allegedly yelling homophobic slurs while hitting multiple people near the French Quarter last week.—
Emily Trainham,
FOXNews.com,
28 Feb. 2026
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The General Assembly voted unanimously to reprimand Jalisi in 2019 for chronic abuse of staff and creating a toxic work environment.—
Bryan P. Sears,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flay. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
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