thrash

play

verb \ ˈthrash \

Definition of thrash

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 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 1

See thrash defined for English-language learners

See thrash defined for kids

Examples of thrash in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of thrash from the Web

FAU at Western Kentucky, Oct. 28: Last season, the Hilltoppers thrashed the Owls for the worst home loss in school history (52-3).

— matthew defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "FAU breakdown: players to watch, keys to season, crucial games," 29 Aug. 2017
The sharks were drawn to the area by the explosion of the sinking ship as well as men thrashing in the water and the blood of the wounded.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "After 72 Years, Wreck of USS Indianapolis Found, Closing Chapter on Tragic Tale," 21 Aug. 2017
Meanwhile, Stephens is out here thrashing this straw man to the very best of his ability, twisting himself in logical pretzels and vociferously stanning for points that the president didn't even argue.

— jay willis, GQ, "Bret Stephens Is Here to "Well, Actually..." Charlottesville," 15 Aug. 2017
Anthony Scaramucci, the president’s former communications director, thrashed him on television as a white nationalist.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "White House Wonders If It’s Safe to Fire Steve Bannon," 15 Aug. 2017
Polls show the ruling Socialists would be thrashed in any conventional election in Venezuela.

— reuters, Fortune, "Trump Is Threatening Sanctions Against Venezuela Over Its Constitutional Crisis," 18 July 2017
Downtown Caracas is a traditional stronghold neighborhood for the government and there has been a string of clashes there since the opposition thrashed the ruling Socialist Party in December 2015 parliamentary elections.

— silene ramírez, carlos garcia rawlins, Alaska Dispatch News, "Venezuelan lawmakers beaten, besieged in latest violence," 6 July 2017
The Tigers were thrashed by Cleveland, looking nowhere near armed to play on the same field as them, let alone in the conversation of American League Central contention.

— anthony fenech, Detroit Free Press, "'A lost opportunity': Verlander, Tigers lose, 11-8, fall further behind Indians," 2 July 2017
In the video, shot earlier this week by Park Ranger Landon Coker, a team of men carefully snare the gator and draw the thrashing reptile out of park waters.

— lawrence specker, AL.com, "Well-fed, 8-foot alligator relocated at Gulf State Park after becoming 'nuisance'," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'thrash.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of thrash

alteration of thresh

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1568

See Words from the same year

thrash Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

sweep, upset; beat, best, conquer, dispatch, hurdle, lick, master, overbear, overcome, overmatch, prevail (over), subdue, surmount, take, throw, triumph (over), win (against), worst; crush, knock off, knock over, overpower, overthrow, overwhelm, subjugate, upend, vanquish; ace (out), better, eclipse, exceed, outdistance, outdo, outfight, outshine, outstrip, overtop, surpass, top, transcend; edge (out), nose out, pip [British]; cap, excel, flourish, score, succeed; break, destroy, do in, finish, sink, slaughter

Near Antonyms

relax, rest, unwind; calm (down), still

Synonym Discussion of 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

thrash

noun

Definition of thrash

1 :an act of thrashing

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

See thrash defined for English-language learners

Examples of thrash in a Sentence

The shark swam away with a thrash of its tail.

Recent Examples of thrash from the Web

A man, a woman, two classical guitars, and an appreciation for thrash metal.

— idahostatesman, "Take in some live music in the Treasure Valley this week," 3 Aug. 2017
Caggiano, who used to be with thrash metal band Anthrax, gets pumped by the crowds.

— madeleine marr, miamiherald, "Chicks dig Danish heavy metal band Volbeat," 5 July 2017
At one point the donkey thrashes around underwater.

— National Geographic, "Live Donkey Fed to Tigers at Chinese Zoo," 7 June 2017
Nearly 25 years ago, Ice-T (the hip-hop star born Tracy Marrow) and Body Count put out that deliberately over-the-top thrash-metal response to police brutality, prompting outrage from President George H.W. Bush and police groups everywhere.

— steve knopper, New York Times, "Ice-T Hasn’t Totally Lost His Taste for Rage," 31 Mar. 2017
The popular thrash group Iron Reagan supports them on the East Coast; for tri-state dates, including this Webster Hall appearance, the Pittsburgh punk act Concealed Blade and the up-and-coming New York favorites Krimewatch join the fun.

— The New Yorker, "Power Trip," 31 Mar. 2017
That's certainly the attitude on Body Count's forthcoming LP, Bloodlust, a thrash-metal take on a nation torn apart by political tension, inequality, corruption, and violence.

— andrew parks, Bon Appetit, "Ice-T on the Best Thing at Dunkin Donuts, Vegans, and Truffle Fatigue," 20 Feb. 2017
David Ellefson, bassist and co-founding member of the thrash metal band, will debut Ellefson Coffee Co. there on Monday, with a grand opening in the spring.

— ross raihala, Twin Cities, "Megadeth co-founder now selling coffee in Minnesota town," 5 Jan. 2017

First Known Use of thrash

1840

THRASH Defined for English Language Learners

thrash

play

verb

Definition of thrash for English Language Learners

: to hit (someone or something) very hard with a stick, whip, etc.
: to defeat (someone or something) very easily or completely
: to move about violently

thrash

noun

Definition of thrash for English Language Learners

: a type of rock music that is very fast and loud
: a violent movement
: a party with loud music and dancing

THRASH Defined for Kids

thrash

play

verb \ ˈthrash \

Definition of thrash for Students

thrashed; thrashing

1 :to beat very hard

2 :to move about violently

Something was thrashing wildly in the brush.

3 :thresh 1

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See words that rhyme with thrash Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for thrash Spanish Central: Translation of thrash Nglish: Translation of thrash for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of thrash for Arabic speakers

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Origin and Etymology of thrash

thrash Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of thrash

thrash

Definition of thrash

Examples of thrash in a Sentence

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First Known Use of thrash

Phrases Related to THRASH

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THRASH Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of thrash for English Language Learners

thrash

Definition of thrash for English Language Learners

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