thrash
Americanverb (used with object)
-
thrashes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thrashed,
past participle, past
-
thrashing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
thrashes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thrashed,
past participle, past
-
thrashing
present participle
-
to toss, or plunge about.
-
Nautical. to make way against the wind, tide, etc.; beat.
noun
-
an act or instance of thrashing; beating; blow.
-
Swimming. the upward and downward movement of the legs, as in the crawl.
-
British Slang. a party, usually with drinks.
verb phrase
verb
-
(tr) to beat soundly, as with a whip or stick
-
(tr) to defeat totally; overwhelm
-
(intr) to beat or plunge about in a wild manner
-
(intr) to move the legs up and down in the water, as in certain swimming strokes
-
to sail (a boat) against the wind or tide or (of a boat) to sail in this way
-
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
-
thrashsimple
-
thrashessimple
-
have thrashedperfect
-
has thrashedperfect
-
am thrashingprogressive
-
are thrashingprogressive
-
is thrashingprogressive
-
have been thrashingperfect progressive
-
has been thrashingperfect progressive
Past
-
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
Super Bowl Blowout: Epic Vocab for the Big Game
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Cay
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Secret Life of Bees
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
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
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 sampler captured the band’s brand of thrash punk in its purest form.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 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
The Grootslang cries out and thrashes, its struggle creating even stronger waves.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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
Harry Brook hit a brutal century and drew comparisons with Kevin Pietersen as England thrashed Sri Lanka by 119 runs in the first T20 in Southampton.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
By the time they had thrashed this out, they were late for breakfast They dressed hurriedly and ran out into the spring.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
It comes after he also found the back of the net in the 3-2 win at Tottenham and in the 6-0 thrashing of Fenerbahce in the Champions League.
From BBC ● Oct. 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
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 29-year-old's time of 1:56.38 was rapid for four lengths of furious thrashing, each one a different stroke.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
He was fighting the serpent, playing it, letting it exhaust itself thrashing and pulling.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
