thrash
Americanverb (used with object)
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thrashes,
present (3rd person singular)
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thrashed,
past participle, past
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thrashing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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thrashes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thrashed,
past participle, past
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thrashing
present participle
-
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
-
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
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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
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have been thrashingperfect progressive
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has been thrashingperfect progressive
Past
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thrashedsimple
-
had thrashedperfect
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was thrashingprogressive
-
were thrashingprogressive
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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:
Blending thrash metal, alternative rock, punk, and Armenian musical influences, “Toxicity” expanded the sound System of a Down had established on its debut without sacrificing the band’s identity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
It could be a pretty boring, sometimes horrifying process — I’ll never forget the thrash metal song we received about Shannen Doherty that sounded like it was recorded in a blender.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
It intends to thrash out the finances of the regions' proposals and assess the interests of the quartet in taking up the new licences.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
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
The gentle giant would whimper when he felt him, and thrash his shaggy head from side to side, but not as violently as he had the first time, back at Queenscrown.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
He stands with a classical-looking, slightly-open stance, taps the ground once as the spinner enters his delivery stride and then thrashes the ball with his fast hands.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2025
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 water, though opaque, is so alive with shrimp and mullet and oysters that it wiggles, thrashes and mutters as it rises and falls with the moon.
From The Guardian ● May 25, 2018
He thrashes his way back up and gulps for air.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
England thrashed Greece 8-1 on aggregate last week to qualify for round two of the World Cup play-offs, where they will face Ukraine.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
But in an ironic twist, part of the parking lot was underwater, a tractor had raised a berm to hold back the ocean, and just to the south, homes were being thrashed by waves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Powerful waves thrashed communities along California's southern coast Friday, damaging homes and sending water cascading through streets as residents braced for more potential damage wrought by Tropical Storm Rachel.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
England's impressive T20 form continued as they thrashed Sri Lanka by six wickets in Cardiff to seal the series with a match to spare.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
He thrashed about for a few seconds and shortly after, the ice saw and spear bobbed up to the surface.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
But UC Santa Cruz oceanographer and geologist Gary Griggs, who has seen the thrashing of that row of homes in previous years, is not going to make an offer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
A 35-6 road thrashing by Jacksonville prompted a predictable surge in doomsdayism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Klinge avoided a whitewash and then grew in confidence, turning what once looked like a thrashing into a one-leg deficit.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
England have set themselves up nicely to finish unbeaten in T20s this summer after thrashing India 4-0 earlier in the year.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
I found Elnora’s arms around me, and though I must have bruised her with my thrashing, she did not complain.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
