agonir

Agonir is almost always used in the fixed expression agonir qqn d'injures — to hurl a stream of insults at someone, verbally overwhelming them with abuse. It's a transitive verb of attack, unrelated in meaning to the similar-looking agoniser.

• La foule en colère l'a agonie d'injures à sa sortie du tribunal. — The angry crowd hurled insults at him as he left the courthouse.
• Il s'est fait agonir de reproches par ses parents. — He was showered with reproaches by his parents.
• Elle refusait de se laisser agonir sans réagir. — She refused to let herself be verbally attacked without responding.

Learners confuse agonir (to hurl insults/abuse at someone) with agoniser (to be dying) because the words look alike — the correct expression is always agonir d'injures, never the commonly heard but incorrect agoniser d'injures.

Often confused with agoniser.