Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

flog a dead horse

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.69 in modern English

Syllables
flog a dead- horse
IPA
23
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To attempt to get more out of something that cannot give more; to attempt to arouse fresh interest in something that is either hopeless or already settled.

British usage

verb

To attempt to get extra work out of a ship's crew during the dead horse period.

Dated

Usage

Inflected Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

What does flog a dead horse mean?
To attempt to get more out of something that cannot give more; to attempt to arouse fresh interest in something that is either hopeless or already settled.

How to pronounce flog a dead horse

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “flog a dead horse”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “flog a dead horse”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “flog a dead horse” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.