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

And, the 56-22 CFP semifinal Peach Bowl thrashing of Oregon began with Ponds’ interception return for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 19 Jan. 2026

Last season’s 56-7 thrashing of former college football power Nebraska. —Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026

The 61-point win was UT's most-lopsided victory in a Big 12 or SEC game, besting a 90-39 thrashing of Texas Tech in 2018. —Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026

The 6-0 thrashing was highlighted by a blitz of three goals in the span of 76 seconds, the latter two lamp-lighters coming just nine ticks apart. —Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 27 Nov. 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