thrash

1 of 2

verb

ˈthrash 

thrashed; thrashing; thrashes

transitive verb

1

a

: to beat soundly with or as if with a stick or whip : flog

b

: to defeat decisively or severely

thrashed the visiting team

2

: to swing, beat, or strike in the manner of a rapidly moving flail

thrashing his arms

3

a

: to go over again and again

thrash the matter over inconclusively

b

: to hammer out : forge

thrash out a plan

4

: to separate the seeds of from the husks and straw by beating : thresh sense 1

intransitive verb

1

: to move or stir about violently : toss about

thrash in bed with a fever

2

: to deal blows or strokes like one using a flail or whip

3

: thresh sense 1

thrash

2 of 2

noun

1

: an act of thrashing

2

: rock music (such as heavy metal or punk rock) that is extremely fast and loud

Synonyms

Verb

• annihilate
• blow away
• bomb
• bury
• clobber
• cream
• drub
• dust
• flatten
• paste
• rout
• shellac
• skin
• skunk
• smoke [slang]
• smother
• snow under
• trim
• tromp
• trounce
• wallop
• wax [slang]
• whip
• whomp
• whop
• whap
• whup

Choose the Right Synonym for thrash

swing, wave, flourish, brandish, thrash mean to wield or cause to move to and fro or up and down.

swing implies regular or uniform movement.

swing the rope back and forth

wave usually implies smooth or continuous motion.

waving the flag

flourish suggests vigorous, ostentatious, graceful movement.

flourished the winning lottery ticket

brandish implies threatening or menacing motion.

brandishing a knife

thrash suggests vigorous, abrupt, violent movement.

an infant thrashing his arms about

Examples of thrash in a Sentence

Verb

He thrashed me with his belt.

The team thrashed them last week.

Something was thrashing wildly in the water.

She thrashed around in her sleep.

Noun

The shark swam away with a thrash of its tail.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The only team with double figures of wins this season is Liverpool, who have stood out as a model of relatively serene stability, while most of those beneath them have thrashed about like fish on the deck of a ship. —Nick Miller, The Athletic, 13 Dec. 2024

Ben Stokes and Pat Cummins' teams thrashed their respective opponents in less than 72 hours. —Tim Ellis, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

Noun

His work on those fan favorites helped propel acrobatic thrash to the upper echelons of the sales charts. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 25 Nov. 2024

Members Kerry King, Gary Holt, Tom Araya, and Paul Bostaph took the stage to deliver their headlining performance at the festival last night, which saw the band’s quintessential satanic backdrops, pyromania, and riveting thrash hits. —Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

alteration of thresh

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3

Noun

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing thrash

• thrash out

Kids Definition

thrash

verb

ˈthrash

1

: thresh sense 1

2

a

: to strike forcefully especially with a long instrument (as a whip) : flog

b

: to defeat decisively or severely

thrashed the visiting team

3

: to move or stir about violently

something was thrashing wildly in the water

4

: to go over again and again

thrash the matter over

thrash out a plan