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
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
On this day in 1850: The U.S. Navy officially abolished flogging as a form of punishment through an act of Congress, which was signed into law by President Millard Fillmore.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 28 Sep. 2025
He’s overseen a doubling in the defense budget, the rollout of a new family of armored vehicles, something that has proved troublesome for allies like the UK, and flogged French arms to allies far and wide, even in the face of US competition.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 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
Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
On this day in 1850: The U.S. Navy officially abolished flogging as a form of punishment through an act of Congress, which was signed into law by President Millard Fillmore.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 28 Sep. 2025
He’s overseen a doubling in the defense budget, the rollout of a new family of armored vehicles, something that has proved troublesome for allies like the UK, and flogged French arms to allies far and wide, even in the face of US competition.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 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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Chargers blockers failed to solve a few stunts, The Patriots whipped them on straight-up rushes, too.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
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Absinthe 1 egg white Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake briefly without ice to whip the egg.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After the drill, Ruin rolls onto his back, then licks a reporter's nose.—
Megan Sauer
Tasia Jensen,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
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Just hours before Saturday morning’s Shabbat service, flames and smoke licked through the synagogue, destroying at least two Torahs and many prayer books.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Jenkins brutally stomped and punched Coto, who was severely injured and put on life support.—
Tony Aiello,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Take it slower and stomp a path through new snow or ski on a frozen pond.—
Ashlyn Ware,
Midwest Living,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Government agencies and businesses that invest in this training, and that insist every critical number survives a deterministic check, will capture AI's benefits without stumbling into its blind spots.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
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Dodge, still suffering the consequences of axing the popular previous generations of Charger and Challenger muscle cars, saw sales stumble down 28% compared with the previous year.—
Liam Rappleye,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Minimalists will opt for a charging station with organized cords or a drawer or basket to hide cords in lieu of a jumble of cords and devices, Donaldson shares.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
13 Jan. 2026
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That can include driving someone away from agents, hiding them, or providing false documents.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Trump has also repeatedly lashed out over the state’s incarceration of Tina Peters, the former county clerk convicted of state felonies related to her attempts to prove discredited election conspiracies shared by the president.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
9 Jan. 2026
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According to Augustinus Bader, apply to brows and lashes morning and night.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The unit was constantly shuffled this season, and the Trojans deployed six different offensive line combinations while still managing to have one of the most efficient offenses in the Big Ten Conference under position coach Zach Hanson.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
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Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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His strength on defense was particularly impressive for a freshman, as TCU big men Xavier Edmonds and David Punch struggled to create good looks inside the lane thanks in large part to the defense of Peat.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Jan. 2026
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Players throughout the Heat’s rotation struggled to make shots.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flog. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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