# flog off

CEFR C1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/flog-off
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to sell something quickly or cheaply because you want to get rid of it.

For teachers: to dispose of assets or goods by selling them, often at a reduced price or in a hurried manner; carries a connotation of low quality or a desire to liquidate stock.

## Examples

- He decided to flog off his old car for fifty pounds.
- The company had to flog off its remaining inventory before the warehouse lease expired at the end of the month.
- After the bankruptcy filing, the liquidators began to flog off the firm's intellectual property to the highest bidder in a series of private auctions.

## Pitfalls

- Not "They flogged off to the customers their stock." but "They flogged off their stock to the customers." — the direct object should follow the phrasal verb or come between the verb and particle, not after a prepositional phrase.

## Usage notes

- primarily British English; the object can go before or after the particle 'off'.
- Teaching tip: contrast with 'sell' to show the negative or hurried nuance; 'flog' on its own means 'to sell' or 'to whip', but 'flog off' specifically implies disposal.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.