noun / verb

whip

WHIP/wɪp/

To strike or move with a rapid, forceful motion.

The woman whips the padded target with a flexible leather lash.

A woman strikes a suspended padded practice target with a flexible leather lash, shown at the instant of contact.

Etymology

whipMiddle Englishto flap violently or move rapidly back and forth

Middle English wippen described violent flapping or quick back-and-forth movement. That motion connects with the later sense of striking with a lash, although the word’s deeper origin is uncertain.

In context

Enhanced Public Domain102:59

whip me I begged whip me without Mercy Wana swung the Whip and hit me twice

1800s Psychological Audiobook 📖 Venus in Furs — Leopold von Sacher-Masoch

More examples

The rider hangs a leather whip beside the saddle.
Low branches whipped my face as I ran.
Our team whipped the league champions by twenty points.

Forms

whip · whips · whipped · whipping

Similar words

lash: Emphasizes striking with something flexible or sweeping violently.
flick: Suggests a smaller, lighter quick movement or strike.
trounce: Means defeating decisively, without the physical striking or movement senses.