1
as in whips
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
students at the private school were once routinely birched for violating the rules
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in licks
to strike repeatedly
always a stern disciplinarian, our father birched anyone who talked back
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for birches
Verb
-
In the video, Campos whips her long hair in disbelief.—
Christina Noriega,
Refinery29,
13 Oct. 2025 -
So unless Benito uncharacteristically whips out a slate of cover songs, his set will be entirely in Spanish.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Posted to the account @maisythemarshmallow on September 19, the video shows the dog, named Maisy, lying calmly as the cat snuggles up and licks her face.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
-
When asked the question, the owl takes the lollipop and licks it three times before chomping down on its hard shell exterior and handing the stick back to the child.—
Moná Thomas,
People.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Incarceration often hides in plain sight.—
PhotoVogue,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The scene from Badlands hangs over the songwriting like a dark cloud; Spacek’s bedroom in the scene looks quite a bit like the bedroom in which the young Springsteen hides from his own angry father.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Public safety officials have already conducted several water rescues as the storm lashes the East Coast with coastal flooding, strong winds, and heavy rain.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
-
While Harris Reed had more exaggerated bottom lashes and more clustered to the outer wing, lashes at Dreaming Eli were more centered and top-heavy, leaving the bottom lashes natural.—
Essence,
Essence,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Mogollon Monster The Mogollon Monster is Arizona's Bigfoot, a legendary creature said to inhabit the Mogollon Rim, a rugged and densely forested area that slashes across the state.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
17 Oct. 2025
-
This sale slashes $450 off the retail price of the HP OmniBook X Flip, a premium 2-in-1 featuring a 16-inch touch display.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Petro has repeatedly defended his policy, which moves away from a repressive approach and prioritizes reaching agreements with growers of coca leaf - the raw material for cocaine - to encourage them to switch to other crops, pursuing major drug lords and combating money laundering.—
NPR,
NPR,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Across these areas, the NWS warned of widespread subfreezing temperatures that could kill crops and other sensitive outdoor vegetation.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The sleeve stays in place with elastic velcro straps.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The oblong bag features a sinuous shape and roomy design, complete with a gold top clasp and top-handle straps connected near the base of the bag.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Birches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/birches. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share