birches 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of birch
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

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2
as in licks
to strike repeatedly always a stern disciplinarian, our father birched anyone who talked back

Synonyms & Similar Words

birches

2 of 2

noun

plural of birch
as in hickories

Related Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for birches
  1. whips
  2. licks
  3. crops
  4. hides
  5. lashes
  6. straps
  7. slashes
  8. pounds
Verb
  • Instead of floating crosses in, Saka either whips his deliveries low near the six-yard box or works a slightly more central position to cut the ball back with a firmer connection.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • The vessel bends, blocks, and whips the wind into complex micro-currents before the air ever hits the sails.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 June 2026
Definition of whips
Verb
  • That glib self-confidence is present in McNamara, who licks the doughnut glaze off his fingers before offering his hand to the female detective questioning the one living Jason.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Later, a woman protractedly licks blue ice cream from a cone, her attempts thwarted by ferocious gusts of wind and sand.
    — Matilda Hague, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of licks
Noun
  • Just as many were making decisions about their crops, fertilizer prices soared, peaking in April at 44% higher than before the war, according to the World Bank’s price index.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Conventional fungicides like chlorothalonil (Daconil) and others are labeled for specific crops and diseases.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of crops
Verb
  • Walruses were once hunted in vast numbers, for their blubber, hides and ivory, driving them close to extinction in Svalbard’s waters, before hunting was banned in 1952.
    — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • There clearly continues to be something very evocative about the idea that all the mundane pop-culture ephemera from one’s youth hides something darker.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of hides
Verb
  • Dovile, who calmly accepts her parents’ divorce when it’s announced to her, lashes out in school by attacking a boy for calling Ukrainians Nazis.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The best mascaras for older women help coat lashes with color while addressing the annoying issues that come with age.
    — Micaela English, Glamour, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of lashes
Noun
  • On September 2, the singer and actress was spotted in Manhattan wearing a long, bold dress with the daintiest straps.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The justice advocate dressed in a floor-length black column dress with a ruched detail and dual straps.
    — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of straps
Verb
  • Critics argue the effort slashes the limited due process immigrants receive.
    — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Applying this rule to back-to-school clothes, summer swimwear, and winter boots takes minimal extra effort (plus a little storage space) and slashes kid clothing budgets in half.
    — Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 31 July 2026
Definition of slashes
Verb
  • Part of the problem is that every summer, water pounds down on sidewalks in the Treasure Valley, drops rippling on glassy reflective surfaces, all because of sprinkler jets overshooting the grass and landing on pavement.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Ukraine pounds Russia with long-range strikes At the same time, Ukraine has shifted the war onto Russian soil through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities that have caused fuel shortages across Russia.
    — Volodymyr Yurchuk, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of pounds
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Birches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/birches. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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