1
as in whipping
to defeat by a large margin
the incumbent has been thrashing his opponents for so long that there's never any real contest for the Senate seat
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2
as in hiding
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
thrashed the poor horse with a riding crop
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in pounding
to strike repeatedly
the tree branches thrashed the sides of the house as the storm continued to rage
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4
as in tossing
to make jerky or restless movements
in obvious pain, the wounded soldier thrashed about his cot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in hammering
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of thrashing
Jack Prator, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
But recognizing Palestine now would give Hamas a massive political lifeline with the Palestinian public despite its military thrashing by Israel.
—Zoltan Istvan, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Aug. 2025
Mary Ellen Klas, Twin Cities, 21 Aug. 2025
Notre Dame won three of those games — the 2010 Sun Bowl, a 2012 thrashing in Chicago and a close game in South Bend, Indiana in 2016.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thrashing
Verb
One person would hold the rod and drag ashore a thrashing, 200-pound sawfish.
—Jack Prator, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
But recognizing Palestine now would give Hamas a massive political lifeline with the Palestinian public despite its military thrashing by Israel.
—Zoltan Istvan, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
Trump has been thrashing about for months looking for ways to manipulate the midterms.
—Mary Ellen Klas, Twin Cities, 21 Aug. 2025
Notre Dame won three of those games — the 2010 Sun Bowl, a 2012 thrashing in Chicago and a close game in South Bend, Indiana in 2016.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thrashing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thrashing
Verb
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The Milwaukee mother who claimed her stepfather threw her baby from a balcony has now been charged with child abuse herself, accused of whipping her younger brothers.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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Olbinski ran to his car, while others hunkered down and braved the brutal winds and whipping sand.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Word of the raid spread across the property, triggering a scramble among workers who attempted to flee, with some running to a sewage pond and others hiding in air ducts.—
Caroll Alvarado,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
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There’s no Nurse Ratched here, however, but there is the kindly Steve, who watches out for all of them, especially Shy, who is hiding a secret from the others.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And the thump, thump, thumping of her brother’s hands pounding a heavy bag.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
30 Aug. 2025
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These unofficial remixes, uploaded from unremarkable accounts, create a kind of Satie-esque audio overdose, pounding the band’s melody into abstraction, pure stimulus.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But the way Herbert flashed early in his career, tossing seven touchdown passes and only one interception in a 2021 season sweep of the defending AFC champion Chiefs, had come to feel like a tease.—
Mike Sando,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Harrell’s improvement After a slow start against the Mountaineers in the Duke’s Mayo Classic, tossing an interception and completing just 54% of his passes, Harrell showed slight improvements against the Tar Heels’ defense.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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However, a Minnesota court struck down the binary trigger ban, arguing that the legislature violated the state constitution’s single-subject clause by burying the ban inside a sprawling spending bill.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
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Wednesday was being restrained by Isaac, the first part of his plan before burying her alive.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Witnesses and lawmakers wrestled with NASA’s budget priorities, highlighting concern that the administration’s 2026 budget request tilts heavily toward exploration while slashing science programs.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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Such reviews have led to companies clearing the deck for new CEOs by slashing top and bottom line expectations, leaving stocks vulnerable to steep corrections.—
Chloe Taylor,Ganesh Rao,
CNBC,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Excluding the pandemic, that’s the slowest average monthly gain for that January to August time frame since 2010, when the United States was still licking its wounds from the Great Recession.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
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Today, Alabama is licking its wounds.—
Don Yaeger,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Koberidze opens with a montage of cats, foot traffic, street dogs twitching in their sleep, statues and trees casting long shadows across buildings.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
17 Aug. 2025
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Prater, who was expecting gory details, is a little harder to read, though his face twitching doesn’t seem like a great sign.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thrashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thrashing. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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