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
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the act of thrashing; blow; beating
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informal a party or similar social gathering
Synonym Usage
See beat.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has thrashedperfect 3rd person singular
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have thrashedperfect
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is thrashingprogressive 3rd person singular
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thrashessingular 3rd person
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thrashingparticiple
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have been thrashingperfect progressive
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are thrashingprogressive
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has been thrashingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am thrashingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had thrashedperfect
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were thrashingprogressive plural
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had been thrashingperfect progressive
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thrashedparticiple
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thrashedsimple
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was thrashingprogressive singular
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
Super Bowl Blowout: Epic Vocab for the Big Game
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The Cay
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The Secret Life of Bees
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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.
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
When the wind blows hard, and their branches and boughs thrash and creak, I am convinced they will topple over and cleave my home in twain.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
These songs made their scenes indelible, from classic rock and dance pop to old-timey blues and thrash.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026
World number one Sabalenka overcame fluctuations in form and a hindrance call against her in the fourth game of the match to thrash Svitolina 6-2 6-3.
From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026
She willed herself to calm down, felt the excitement of the crowd, the wild thrash of her brother’s music.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
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.
