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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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They were instead captured and publicly whipped.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
19 Feb. 2026
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Those who observe Lent will spend the next several Fridays whipping out fish recipes or attending a fish fry and abstaining from eating meat.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Though his injuries were severe, the sailors watched in wonder as the cat determinedly licked his wounds, then got back to work destroying the rats threatening the ship’s food stores.—
Anne Ewbank,
Popular Science,
18 Feb. 2026
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Spit Heathcliff spends a lot of time straight-up licking Cathy’s face in this movie.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The goal will change depending on the game — whether that’s collecting tokens, moving pieces on a board, stomping Goombas, or putting a ball in a hoop hanging 10 feet above the ground.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Feb. 2026
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On her final attempt, Gu stomped a left double-cork 1260 with a toxic grab, vaulting from sixth place into silver-medal position.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The scientists who stumbled on the rare recording are eager to use it for science.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
20 Feb. 2026
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Workers stumble upon historic burial site and 'incredibly rare' find during sewer project.—
,
FOXNews.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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However, Archaeology News continues that earlier reports also identified a wooden stool and a cattle hide that did not survive, in fact.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
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Many shoppers assume the shine hides spoilage or adds chemicals.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In recent days, the president has remained defiant on the issue, lashing out at the justices for delivering a legal setback on his tariffs, and looking to impose new global tariffs in a different way.—
Ana Ceballos
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
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The governor’s office said state highway officials are redeploying road equipment to the South Coast area as the region continues to be lashed by the brunt of the ongoing storm.—
Todd Prussman,
Boston Herald,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That left the Broncos with no option but to grab their bags and shuffle along the final icy stretch before reaching the safety of indoors.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
19 Feb. 2026
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To use Smith at the top of the lineup would likely require the Rangers to shuffle the leadoff hitter against lefties, thus creating more moving parts.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Groceries and warehouse clubs like Sam’s and Costco do flawlessly what many of us struggle to do at home — roast a whole chicken to golden-brown perfection on a rotating spit so that every morsel is cooked evenly and deliciously tender.—
Gretchen McKay,
Twin Cities,
25 Feb. 2026
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Instead, 10 games into his college career, Arenas is struggling mightily with his offensive efficiency.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flog. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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