1
as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
her husband flayed her constantly for her incessant shopping
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flay
Grammy winner Williams flays the mysterious character, and opens the show with her powerful vocals.
—
Dave Quinn, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024
The radical potential of the scene has mostly evaporated, flattened and flayed into vague signifiers.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Oct. 2024
Some of the homes were shoved off their concrete footings, while others had their roofs flayed off by the wind.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 29 Sep. 2024
Among the dead was Hugh de Cressingham, the king’s treasurer, whose corpse was reportedly flayed to make a sheath for Wallace’s sword.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flay 
Dave Quinn, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024
The radical potential of the scene has mostly evaporated, flattened and flayed into vague signifiers.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Oct. 2024
Some of the homes were shoved off their concrete footings, while others had their roofs flayed off by the wind.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 29 Sep. 2024
Among the dead was Hugh de Cressingham, the king’s treasurer, whose corpse was reportedly flayed to make a sheath for Wallace’s sword.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flay
Verb
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At one point, an appalled Robinson came outside to scold her daughter.—
Rachel DeSantis,
People.com,
13 Feb. 2025
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On the other side of the FaceTime call is none other than Set It Off star Vivica Fox, who scolds Glo for sleeping in.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
4 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Then the nuns convene in the kitchen to peel vegetables.—
Lawrence Wright,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
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The stalks can be peeled and sliced for stir-fries, slaws, and more.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Schachner playfully lectures Smooth for pulling the blue bandanna off his Team Fluff teammate, Alice.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
10 Feb. 2025
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The long-standing lament that Latin American conservatives, centrists, and leftists share is that whereas the United States comes to the region to punish and lecture, China comes to trade.—
Will Freeman,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Witnesses told investigators that Sanchez had planned to reprimand Jimenez for his allegedly poor work ethic and other faults, according to court filings.—
Gary Klien,
The Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2025
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In 2011, in the southern city of Daraa, a group of teen-age boys were caught painting anti-government graffiti on a wall, and, rather than simply reprimand them, secret police tortured them to death.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near flay
Cite this Entry
“Flay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flay. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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