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
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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
-
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
At the sound of the great drum break, we were to thrash about the locker room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 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
The guards lift me up above the fray, where I continue to thrash as I’m conveyed over the crush of people.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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 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
His head thrashes from side to side on the pillow, one of his hurt hands coming up to shield his closed eyes.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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
Stuart Barrow's side thrashed the World Cup debutants 62-0 in August 2025 and claimed a record 82-0 win at Headingley over the same opponents in 2024.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 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
Trade bible Variety called it a "lacerating portrait," while Deadline said the "damning" film had "thrashed" Musk as "petty, narcissistic, megalomaniacal, cruel."
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
The ant struggled in the soft, sandy trap until a pair of pincers suddenly reached up and grabbed it, thrashed up a little dust, and pulled it under.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Josh Doig's chances of displacing either and adding to his two caps was not helped by a 6-2 thrashing for Sassuolo at home to Lazio on his return to the starting line-up.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
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
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
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
I leaped across the room, throwing my body into the tower, thrashing my arms and legs until it was nothing but a cascade of blocks upon the floor.
From "The Rock and the River" by Kekla Magoon
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