thresh

verb

\ ˈthresh

, ˈthrash\

threshed; threshing; threshes

Definition of thresh

transitive verb

1 : to separate seed from (a harvested plant) mechanically also : to separate (seed) in this way

2 : thrash sense 3

3 : to strike repeatedly

intransitive verb

1 : to thresh grain

2a : thrash sense 2

b : thrash sense 1

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about thresh

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Examples of thresh in a Sentence

threshing and harvesting at the same time the poor dog threshed against his chain

Recent Examples on the Web

Subrat Chandra Gayen, another resident of Joymoni, said nearly 80 percent of families have had to give up on rice farming, which once provided food and an income for most people in the area, including women who sowed, harvested, and threshed it. — Manipadma Jena, The Christian Science Monitor, "With tides rising, Bangladeshi farmers turn to flood-resistant crabs," 19 Mar. 2018 In the San Joaquin Valley, beans are harvested by a machine called Big Bertha, which can pick and thresh fifty thousand pounds a day. — Junot Díaz, The New Yorker, "The Hunt for Mexico’s Heirloom Beans," 17 Apr. 2018 Deuteronomy 25:4 prohibits the muzzling of an ox that is threshing. — Karen Swallow Prior, Washington Post, "Fallen NFL star Michael Vick speaks at Liberty University about dog fighting and his faith," 29 Jan. 2018 Sometimes scenes of hunting, netting fish, herding and butchering animals, threshing grain and other farming activities were carved or painted directly onto tomb walls, as in the exquisite murals at the ancient burial grounds at Saqqara near Cairo. — Salima Ikram, Smithsonian, "For Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, Life Was a Banquet, But the Afterlife Was the Greatest Feast of All," 3 Feb. 2017 Collaborating with women farmers in Niger, Trimble designed a compact, solar-powered device that threshes and winnows pearl millet, allowing more daily meals to be produced without such a physical toll. — National Geographic, "Thousands Submitted Ideas to Our ‘Chasing Genius’ Challenge. These 4 Won," 18 Sep. 2017 The terms were threshed out in open council, before the largest assembly of red men ever engaged in a treaty in the western country up to that time. — Alicia Ault, Smithsonian, "A Territorial Land Grab That Pushed Native Americans to the Breaking Point," 10 Oct. 2017 Sometimes scenes of hunting, netting fish, herding and butchering animals, threshing grain and other farming activities were carved or painted directly onto tomb walls, as in the exquisite murals at the ancient burial grounds at Saqqara near Cairo. — Salima Ikram, Smithsonian, "For Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, Life Was a Banquet, But the Afterlife Was the Greatest Feast of All," 3 Feb. 2017

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