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Synonyms

thrash

American  
[thrash] / θræʃ /

verb (used with object)

  1. to beat soundly in punishment; flog.

    Synonyms:
    drub, maul

  2. to defeat thoroughly.

    The home team thrashed the visitors.

  3. Nautical. to force (a close-hauled sailing ship under heavy canvas) against a strong wind or sea.

  4. thresh.

verb (used without object)

  1. to toss, or plunge about.

  2. Nautical. to make way against the wind, tide, etc.; beat.

  3. thresh.

noun

  1. an act or instance of thrashing; beating; blow.

  2. thresh.

  3. Swimming. the upward and downward movement of the legs, as in the crawl.

  4. British Slang. a party, usually with drinks.

verb phrase

  1. thrash out / over to talk over thoroughly and vigorously in order to reach a decision, conclusion, or understanding; discuss exhaustively. Also thresh outover.

thrash British  
/ θræʃ /

verb

  1. (tr) to beat soundly, as with a whip or stick

  2. (tr) to defeat totally; overwhelm

  3. (intr) to beat or plunge about in a wild manner

  4. (intr) to move the legs up and down in the water, as in certain swimming strokes

  5. to sail (a boat) against the wind or tide or (of a boat) to sail in this way

  6. another word for thresh

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act of thrashing; blow; beating

  2. informal a party or similar social gathering

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See beat.

Other Word Forms

  • unthrashed adjective
  • well-thrashed adjective

Etymology

Origin of thrash

before 900; Middle English thrasshen, variant of thresshen to thresh

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.

For those rapids were not rapids at all… but the thrashing bodies of a hundred cottonmouth snakes.

From Literature

I was thrashing feverishly on the cot one morning when the cell door opened and there stood the steel-voiced matron I had seen the night I entered the cell two weeks before.

From Literature

Lloyd thrashed in the black water and finally found his feet.

From Literature

A vise clamped around my chest, my heart thrashing inside.

From Literature

Symptoms of nocturnal seizures can include signs of sudden awakening with confusion, thrashing, violent movements, screaming, or waking up on the floor.

From BBC

Definitions 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.