thrashing

noun

thrash·​ing ˈthra-shiŋ 

plural thrashings

1

: a severe beating or flogging

If a poacher was taken he was given a thrashing as well as being prosecuted with its consequent jail sentence.

—W. Mostyn Thomas

"They called her a little blue ragamuffin, father," said Harry, who ran in looking very angry. "But I have given it to them. They won't insult my sister again. I have given them a thrashing they will remember."

—Anna Sewell

2

: a dominating defeat of an opponent

… after going 6-5 on a tough road trip that concluded with 9-2 and 12-4 thrashings of the Giants last weekend, they were 57-41 …

—Phil Taylor

Examples of thrashing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the Bears rebounded with encouraging victories — a home thrashing of the Cowboys followed by a character-building come-from-behind magic act in Las Vegas. —Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025

The squeals, heavy breathing, and tail thrashing of the headline attraction, the ominous pitter-patter of a chestburster scuttling across the floor, and the characteristic crunch of a chestburster smashing through an unfortunate ribcage are all integral to the extra-terrestrial horror. —Richard Edwards, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2025

The latest thrashing of an opponent came Saturday evening, when the Broncos (3-1) scored a 47-14 victory over App State (2-2). —Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 28 Sep. 2025

Europe romped to a nine-point thrashing. —Don Riddell, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for thrashing

• ashing
• bashing
• caching
• cashing
• clashing
• crashing
• dashing
• flashing
• gnashing
• hashing
• lashing
• mashing