thresh
verb (used with object)
to separate the grain or seeds from (a cereal plant or the like) by some mechanical means, as by beating with a flail or by the action of a threshing machine.
was threshing
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past progressiveof thresh.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
The Anti-Saloon League said he was "threshing old straw."
From Time Magazine Archive
In the darkness the sharp nose of his little boat swung out to the stream, and ten minutes after the message came the boat was threshing a way against the swift river.
From Sanders of the River by Edgar Wallace
He was threshing the water furiously, now vanishing partly underneath, only to come up again in a whirl of bubbles.
From Jack Winters' Baseball Team Or, The Rivals of the Diamond by Mark Overton
Davis was threshing about in the water in an effort to release this desperate clutch without altogether loosening his hold upon the lad.
From The Boy Allies Under the Sea by Clair W. (Clair Wallace) Hayes
One day your grandfather was threshing wheat, not near the threshing-floor, for the Midianites watched the threshing-floors to see if any corn was brought there, but close to the wine-press.
From Miriam's Schooling and Other Papers by Mark Rutherford
