1
as in to whip
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
a graphic depiction of a sailor being flogged by the captain for disobeying orders
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2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
was fined heavily for flogging a horse
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3
as in to stomp
British
to move heavily or clumsily
for most of the night, searchers flogged through the marsh, crying out for the lost child
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4
as in to stumble
British
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
ignoring the groans and catcalls that his speech was provoking, the backbencher flogged away
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flog
Their calls were ruthlessly crushed, with leaders flogged or jailed.
—
Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2025
Others have called out the boring marketing campaign based around flogging variants in order for Swift to finally beat the record for the biggest opening sales week for a female artist in history (currently held by Adele, which she is likely projected to break).
—Bianca Davino, Refinery29, 7 Oct. 2025
The only thing tougher to watch than the Bengals’ offense on Sunday was Browning flogging himself over the failure.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
The Black Death and its aftermath saw a great resurgence of apocalyptic flagellation, with thousands of adherents flogging themselves up and down the Continent (the movement failed to take off in England, which figures).
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flog
Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2025
Others have called out the boring marketing campaign based around flogging variants in order for Swift to finally beat the record for the biggest opening sales week for a female artist in history (currently held by Adele, which she is likely projected to break).
—Bianca Davino, Refinery29, 7 Oct. 2025
The only thing tougher to watch than the Bengals’ offense on Sunday was Browning flogging himself over the failure.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
The Black Death and its aftermath saw a great resurgence of apocalyptic flagellation, with thousands of adherents flogging themselves up and down the Continent (the movement failed to take off in England, which figures).
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flog
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flog
Verb
-
Canty is one of the coaches who whips students into shape.—
Terell Bailey,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Johnson whipped out his phone and shared a photo of Maivia with the audience, who applauded at the likeness.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Your table will be licking their fingers.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
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When a boy had licked her neck at a party during the first week of college, a stranger!—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That’s the sound of clogs slowly stomping back into the spotlight.—
Andrea Zendejas,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
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For pretty much every gamer alive today, those first few notes induce an almost Pavlovian response — sparking an urge to grab a controller on your lap that isn’t actually there and bringing to mind comfortable, warm memories of stomping Goombas and riding Yoshi on a quest to save Princess Peach.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The show follows Nicky (Levy) and Morgan Dardano (Taylor Ortega), a pastor-and-teacher sibling duo from New Jersey who stumble into organized crime after Morgan steals a necklace from a postal store to bury with their dying grandmother.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
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When a character speaks English, an accent is employed and the manner is often a bit stumbling.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Neither made any attempt to hide their contempt for the other from the media or the public.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
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Unlike other bands who have used a hiatus as an excuse to hide acrimony, James says the members went their separate ways with zero animosity.—
Daniel Kohn,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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Trump had lashed out at the pontiff in a Truth Social post on Sunday night and repeated those criticisms Monday.—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Growing up in a military family, Vogel shuffled between the East Coast and Europe every two to three years.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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The Bruins are shuffling off to Buffalo.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Despite plenty of sunshine on Monday, high temperatures may struggle to reach 60° with a blustery and cool wind much of the day.—
Steven Sosna,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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School board candidates endorsed by the group struggled in elections, and rival liberal groups rose up to compete for power in America’s suburbs.—
Collin Binkley,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flog. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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