flog

American  

[flog, flawg] / flɒg, flɔg /

verb (used with object)

flogged, flogging

1. to beat with a whip, stick, etc., especially as punishment; whip; scourge.

   Synonyms:

   lash, thrash

2. Slang.

   1. to sell, especially aggressively or vigorously.

   2. to promote; publicize.

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flog British  

/ flɒɡ /

verb

1. (tr) to beat harshly, esp with a whip, strap, etc

2. slang (tr) to sell

3. (intr) (of a sail) to flap noisily in the wind

4. (intr) to make progress by painful work

5. to steal

6. 1. to harp on some long discarded subject

   2. to pursue the solution of a problem long realized to be insoluble

7. to persuade a person so persistently of the value of (an idea or venture) that he or she loses interest in it

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flog Idioms  

1. see beat a dead horse.

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Other Word Forms

• floggable adjective
• flogger noun
• flogging noun
• overflog verb (used with object)
• unfloggable adjective

Etymology

Origin of flog

First recorded in 1670–80; perhaps blend of flay and jog, variant of jag ¹ “to prick, slash”; but flagellate

Explanation

To flog is to beat or hit, especially with a tool like a stick or rod. A cruel trainer might flog an unruly horse with a whip. When you flog someone, you beat them as a way of punishing or controlling them. In the old days, teachers were allowed to flog misbehaving students, and it wasn't uncommon for parents to flog their children as punishment. In fact, the word flog first appeared as school slang in the late 1600s — it's thought to be a shortened form of the Latin word flagellare, "flagellate," or "whip."

Example Sentences

“If you’re right here at the top of the curve, functioning at a high level, if I flog your nicotinic receptors, you’re actually going to have a decline in performance,” he adds.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2025

Would it have been better to continue to flog the sun-sapped Australians for the remainder of the day and possibly even into the second morning?

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2023

They are a Thing Unto Themselves, these ads, an art almost irrelevant to the products they flog — sometimes barely mentioned, often easy to forget.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2023

The idea is not to flog yourself for mistakes but to acknowledge them with future improvements in mind.

From New York Times • Dec. 28, 2021

“Half the time you don’t even bother locking it. You’re probably hoping someone’ll flog it so you can collect the insurance.”

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

Related Words

• castigate
• chastise
• spank