as in whipping
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1
as in hiding
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
a graphic depiction of a sailor being flogged by the captain for disobeying orders
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in licking
to strike repeatedly
was fined heavily for flogging a horse
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in shuffling
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 struggling
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 flogging
Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026
Despite a pretty lively premiere week thanks to a public flogging from critics that seemed to pique audience interest, All’s Fair did have some tough competition during that interval as well.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Ellie Austin, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
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
Noun
Cheating has been part of the Olympics since the ancient games, when violators were punished with fines, public flogging or lifetime bans.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026
Despite a pretty lively premiere week thanks to a public flogging from critics that seemed to pique audience interest, All’s Fair did have some tough competition during that interval as well.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Verb
Examples include a husband having the legal right to restrict his wife’s travel and employment, unequal divorce rights and punishment for appearing in public without a hijab ranging from fines to prison time to flogging.
—Ellie Austin, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flogging
Noun
-
The hair-whipping, chest-thumping church founder uprooted her polarizing sect from Manchester, England, to Manhattan before fleeing farther still into the countryside.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
In 1918, then-owner Philip Guichet invented the Grasshopper cocktail, incorporating white and green crème de menthe, white and dark crème de cacao, heavy whipping cream and brandy.—
Stephanie Gallman Jordan,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Under her tenure, the Department has lost centuries of professional experience, willfully violated federal law and judicial orders alike, while at the same time, hiding millions of documents linked to the Epstein files in a massive cover-up.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Grass lines in 8 to 15 feet of water make a perfect location for ambushing their prey and hiding from other predatory fish like muskies.—
Derek Horner,
Outdoor Life,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The department shared photos of Ziggy, still wearing a bandage on his left hind leg, jumping up and licking Spring's face during a recent visit.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Seals off The San Diego Seals (6-8) are off this weekend and licking their wounds following a crushing 9-8 home loss to Buffalo on Saturday.—
Ivan Carter,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
These chips spend most of their energy shuffling data between a memory unit and a processor.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Mar. 2026
-
So what better way to cap all that off than closing out the Oscars — even if the clip played while the audience was shuffling out of the theater and calling their Ubers.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the poor quarters of New Delhi, households struggling to pay for gas fired up chulhas, old-school wood-burning stoves, and hoped their tinder supplies held.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Lillibridge says the prices are piling onto an already struggling industry.—
Lana Zak,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But because this is a derby, we’re supposed to believe this latest thrashing is a statement.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Carrington, who converted a program-record nine 3-pointers in a 90-73 thrashing at Washington on Saturday, was 4 of 8 behind the arc, and sophomore power forward Austin Rapp as 3 of 6.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Attributing the budget-slashing move to an overall decrease in enrollment caused by fluctuating demographics, restrictions on international students and skyrocketing tuition costs, the New School is becoming part of a trend across higher education.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Warsh has committed to slashing the Fed's balance sheet.—
Steve Liesman,Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The president of a labor union representing Transportation Security Administration employees is lashing out at lawmakers, telling them not to leave Washington, DC, for Easter recess before passing a deal to pay its agents amid the ongoing partial government shutdown.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
How this showdown plays out will affect not only Anthropic’s booming business but also the way tech titans and other corporations work with an administration known for lashing out at resisters, said Alan Rozenshtein, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Law School.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flogging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flogging. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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