thrash
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to toss, or plunge about.
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Nautical. to make way against the wind, tide, etc.; beat.
noun
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an act or instance of thrashing; beating; blow.
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Swimming. the upward and downward movement of the legs, as in the crawl.
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British Slang. a party, usually with drinks.
verb phrase
verb
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(tr) to beat soundly, as with a whip or stick
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(tr) to defeat totally; overwhelm
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(intr) to beat or plunge about in a wild manner
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(intr) to move the legs up and down in the water, as in certain swimming strokes
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to sail (a boat) against the wind or tide or (of a boat) to sail in this way
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another word for thresh
noun
-
the act of thrashing; blow; beating
-
informal a party or similar social gathering
Synonym Usage
See beat.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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thrashsimple
-
thrashessimple
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have thrashedperfect
-
has thrashedperfect
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am thrashingprogressive
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are thrashingprogressive
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is thrashingprogressive
-
have been thrashingperfect progressive
-
has been thrashingperfect progressive
Past
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thrashedsimple
-
had thrashedperfect
-
was thrashingprogressive
-
were thrashingprogressive
-
had been thrashingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of thrash
before 900; Middle English thrasshen, variant of thresshen to thresh
Explanation
When you thrash someone, you beat them — literally, with your fists, or figuratively, by winning a game or competition. You can describe your game plan for a chess match this way: "I plan to thrash that show-off in just ten moves." You can also threaten to physically thrash someone, like a neighborhood bully who's been known to thrash much smaller kids. Thrash was originally a sixteenth-century variation on the word thresh, which means to separate grain from wheat or another plant by beating it.
Vocabulary lists containing thrash
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Once it is unveiled, EU negotiators from the parliament and European capitals will thrash it out to agree on a final law.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Uncertainty will weigh on shipping while Washington and Tehran thrash out details on Iran’s nuclear program and other unresolved issues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
That was never far from our thoughts as we watched “The Late Show” thrash, often jubilantly, against the coming night over the 10 months that the network gave it to bleed out.
From Salon ● May 21, 2026
The agreement had been due to expire, but talks on renewing the deal were extended by two months to thrash out an agreement.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026
I thrash and in a simulation I would have pulled free by now so this must mean that this is real, it’s real.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
The left-hander's had a couple of thrashes outside off stump when he needn't have done, but he registers the visitors' first boundary of the season, drilling Ethan Bamber to the cover fence.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2024
Park thrashes through the “Hedwig” songbook with aplomb; high points include the headbanger “Angry Inch,” the aching anthem “Wicked Little Town” and “Wig in a Box,” a tour-de-force tune of self-discovery.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 30, 2021
“When the virus thrashes your lungs, then what’s left is lung damage, and your body just has to heal that on its own,” he says.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 30, 2021
The rough grabs Scheffler’s club as he thrashes out of the rough at 1.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 18, 2021
The Grootslang cries out and thrashes, its struggle creating even stronger waves.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
It was certainly part of the game when Arsenal thrashed Manchester City 5-1 in February 2025, Gabriel celebrating a goal for his side by bellowing in Haaland's face in an act of sweet revenge.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
That was followed up by a first-ever World Cup win as they thrashed Qatar 6-0 to seal their place in the knockouts.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Sunday's talks were not the first time world issues have been thrashed out at the Burgenstock.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026
Friday's signing will not be the the first time world issues have been thrashed out at the Burgenstock.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
He was like a fly to her, a fly she was longing to swat; her tail thrashed again, but he was too high to reach now.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
Last week management at the 10-brand group began what could be a long and tough process of thrashing out job cuts in talks with the supervisory board as workers protested at plants nationwide.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
The Belgian team copied Trump's unmistakable swaying fist pumps as they celebrated their 4-1 thrashing of the co-hosts on Monday, dancing and singing the song on the pitch and in the changing room.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Carlo Ancelotti arrived with his band aid after a 4-1 thrashing by Argentina in March of last year.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Osaka reached the fourth round at SW19 for the first time in her career after thrashing Daria Kasatkina on Friday.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
“There was the fish, caught only by one fin, and its tail wildly thrashing and shining in the sun. There was the web, sagging dangerously under the weight of the fish.”
From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
