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# flog

verb (flog, flogs, flogged, flogging)

«flog» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To beat someone hard with a whip or stick as a punishment (now illegal in most places). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flog/#m1)
2. (UK, Australia, informal) To sell something, often quickly or cheaply. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flog/#m2)
3. (Australia, NZ slang) To steal. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flog/#m3)
4. (informal) «flog a dead horse»: waste effort on something that will not work. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flog/#m4)

### In the lessons

In history lessons: sailors and prisoners were flogged long ago — cruel punishments. In UK and Australian slang: «He's flogging his old bike» means selling it. «Flogging a dead horse» means trying to do something that is hopeless.

### Examples

- Long ago, sailors were flogged for breaking rules. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flog/#x1)
- (UK informal) I'm going to flog my old scooter online. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flog/#x2)
- (Australia slang) Someone flogged my pencil case! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flog/#x3)
- Trying to fix that broken toy is flogging a dead horse. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flog/#x4)
- The cruel captain flogged the crew. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flog/#x5)
- (informal) They flogged all the cakes in ten minutes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flog/#x6)
- The king read the paper, and ordering the man to be flogged, dismissed him. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flog/#x7)

### Note

Double the g: flogged, flogging. Informal senses depend on the country. In Australian and NZ slang «flog» can also be a mild insult for an annoying person — rude.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «flog» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flog/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«flog» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/flog.html) on Mova free.