Flayer is a word that not many people use in their everyday vocabulary. However, it means the act of removing the skin or outer covering of something or someone. Some synonyms that are more commonly used include peel, strip, skin, and shave. Other synonyms that may be less familiar are excoriate, pare, decorticate, and dismember. These words all describe a similar action of removing a layer or covering from something or someone. Depending on the context of its use, flayer can often be replaced with any of these synonyms to convey the same meaning.