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)
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thrashed,
past participle, past
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thrashing
present participle
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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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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thrashsimple
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thrashessimple
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have thrashedperfect
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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
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had thrashedperfect
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was thrashingprogressive
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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
Super Bowl Blowout: Epic Vocab for the Big Game
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The Cay
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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:
A band of protestors in flip-flops thrash on aluminum pans, registering their anger with the blackouts, moving quickly to avoid the police.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 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
Unai Emery's Villa side overturned a 1-0 first leg defeat to thrash Forest 4-1 on aggregate on Thursday and set up a Europa League final meeting with Bundesliga side Freiburg in Istanbul on 20 May.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
Together, we silently watch the thrash and spattering mist of the sea.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
Wind thrashes around the car park in the dim dawn light, rattling the corrugated supermarket shutters and sending discarded carrier bags billowing as rain tumbles on to the asphalt.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 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
The Grootslang cries out and thrashes, its struggle creating even stronger waves.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
When Broussard and his friend attempted to put Catzilla into the fishing basket, with the intention of then releasing it, the 50-pounder violently thrashed and slipped free.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
It's a dream for surfers, but can quickly become a nightmare for inexperienced swimmers thrashed by strong currents.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
"I think this is a new era for us," said Courtois before Belgium thrashed tournament co-hosts USA 4-1 in last 16.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Sunday's talks were not the first time world issues have been thrashed out at the Burgenstock.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026
He was staring at Adiah as she thrashed, eyes wide, but he didn’t move.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
For rock fans, “Boston” had it all—dramatic guitar solos, powerful lead vocals, a jabbing bass line, thrashing drums and catchy songs with a smart blend of pop and metal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
They headlined Coachella in 2025, a rare heavy rock band to top the most influential festival in the U.S., delivering a raucous and thrashing set unlike any in the last decade of Coachella headliners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 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
The buzz: The only time the U.S. won two games in the group stage was 1930; the Americans can equal that with a win here after thrashing Paraguay in its opener.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
A vise clamped around my chest, my heart thrashing inside.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
