Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To beat severely with a whip or rod.
  • transitive verb Informal To publicize aggressively.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To beat or strike.
  • Specifically To whip; chastise with repeated blows, as of a rod or whip.
  • To beat, in the sense of surpass; excel.
  • In flshing, to lash (the water) with the line.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To beat or strike with a rod or whip; to whip; to lash; to chastise with repeated blows.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To whip or scourge someone or something as punishment.
  • verb transitive To use something to extreme; to abuse.
  • verb transitive, UK To sell something.
  • verb transitive, Australia, New Zealand To steal something.
  • verb transitive, Australia, New Zealand To defeat easily or convincingly.
  • verb transitive, agriculture To exploit.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb beat with a cane
  • verb beat severely with a whip or rod

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Perhaps from alteration of Latin flagellāre; see flagellate.]

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Examples

  • I'll not fight yo, but I'll flog yo -- _flog yo_ -- d 'yo hear?'

    The History of David Grieve Humphry Ward 1885

  • And the only other thing that I'm here to flog is my book, as Anna Porter says.

    Malice in Blunderland 1999

  • Love how you cite kos as saying the source was somewhere other than his stew of diarists, who picked something up, expanded it to something they chose to "flog" - their words, and think that's a reliable source.

    Palinsanity. Ann Althouse 2008

  • The carnival-like grounds are comprised of booths in a flea market-like setting where proprietors in canvas tents sell merchandise, independent record labels flog their artists, and magazine publishers and non-profit orgs ply their way.

    Warped Tour…punk, X-treme sports, and fanticipation! « Julian Ayrs & Pop Culture 2008

  • By heavens, I'll make him obey, or I'll -- "-- Here Mr Easy stopped before the word flog was fairly out of his mouth, --" I'll know the reason why, Dr Middleton. "

    Mr. Midshipman Easy Frederick Marryat 1820

  • DigitalBulletin says Virgin has said no more than it`ll offer a million tracks, the identical standard fare the Big Four record labels flog to all their customers at exorbitant wholesale prices.

    HMV, Virgin, music downloads 2005

  • Or fail like the word "flog" (a fake blog for promotional purposes)?

    Five words shaping our future Steven E. Levingston 2010

  • Last October, a "traveling blog" featuring a couple extolling the virtues of Wal-Mart during a pilgrimage through its stores turned out to be a fake blog (or "flog"), produced by the retail giant's media corporation, the international Edelman firm.

    Van Jones: Wal-Mart's Well-Timed Spin Cycle 2008

  • He's been so lazy these last few weeks, I think I need to flog him or something does anyone use the term "flog" anymore?

    Having a bit of a rest appleleaf 2008

  • An addendum to the above, it's a pity that the Democrats are focusing on this issue to "flog" the Republicans before the elections.

    Saturday Moments: From torture & Republican sex scandals to zombies Diane Silver 2006

Comments

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  • Golf in reverse (q.v.,for more).

    July 10, 2007

  • Fake blog, ostensibly written by an individual but actually maintained by a marketing company.

    December 30, 2007

  • foto-log, or vlog in English

    July 29, 2008

  • i do enjoy a good flogging.

    July 29, 2008

  • In the context of BDSM, a rather perverse combination of excrement and astrology.

    July 29, 2008

  • Tech-speak meaning comes from fake + blog = flog. A blog that isn't written by a real person, or by who it is attributed to. Can be used as a verb, as "she was hired to flog for the PR company."

    June 9, 2009

  • Contranym: promote aggressively v. punish harshly.

    March 14, 2010

  • Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head.

    December 11, 2010