1
as in buries
to defeat by a large margin
the incumbent has been thrashing his opponents for so long that there's never any real contest for the Senate seat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in whips
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
thrashed the poor horse with a riding crop
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in licks
to strike repeatedly
the tree branches thrashed the sides of the house as the storm continued to rage
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in tosses
to make jerky or restless movements
in obvious pain, the wounded soldier thrashed about his cot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of thrashes
The spotted fish thrashes angrily, disturbing the waters so that the pool’s edge laps against the rock.
—
Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
The 16-year-old flails her arms, thrashes and kicks — sometimes for hours.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
Framed by her Pepto-pink hair — another Moisturizer-era change — Teasdale bodyrolls and thrashes around, singing so wildly that the edges of her mouth seem to disappear.
—Sophie Williams, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
The 16-year-old flails her arms, thrashes and kicks — sometimes for hours.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
Framed by her Pepto-pink hair — another Moisturizer-era change — Teasdale bodyrolls and thrashes around, singing so wildly that the edges of her mouth seem to disappear.
—Sophie Williams, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thrashes
Verb
-
One tiny survivor breaks free and attempts to flee, but Noem leaps through the doors and buries three rounds into its face and abdomen, which gush blood.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Instead of listening to the public, this response just buries the truth and clears the way for even more exports.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 June 2025
Verb
-
The vessel bends, blocks, and whips the wind into complex micro-currents before the air ever hits the sails.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 June 2026
-
In the fourth minute, Meschack Elia whips a ball across the box to Bakambu, eight yards from goal.—
Franklin Leonard,
Vanity Fair,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The first is Christopher Walken as Gabriel, a mean-spirited angel who sniffs and licks crime scenes and inspects children’s teeth for reasons that sort of make sense within the movie.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
-
When asked the question, the owl takes the lollipop and licks it three times before chomping down on its hard shell exterior and handing the stick back to the child.—
Moná Thomas,
People.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
At The Happy Crane, Parry gives the char siu treatment to rich Iberico pork jowl, steams and grinds his own rice for the crab rice roll, and tosses Monterey abalone and Jimmy Nardello peppers into a smoking wok with XO sauce.—
Becky Duffett,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
8 June 2026
-
The Royals suffered another crushing defeat and are now 16-15 in 2026 when their pitcher tosses a quality start.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
These families show that love overcomes differences.—
Geoffrey Greif,
Baltimore Sun,
11 June 2026
-
The innovative method overcomes the structural instability that usually prevents the formation of such ultra-small nanotubes.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Signature shareable paellas and housemade sangria pitchers are must-tries across its three San Antonio locations—one of which hides the popular underground speakeasy, Cellar Mixology.—
Kat Stinson,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Dec. 2025
-
But behind his friendly smile hides a deep pain.—
Olivia Young,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Owens angrily pounds on Lorincz’s door, which is locked, and Lorincz calls the police.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The banging only grows louder as an unknown person pounds their forehead into a door.—
Connor Merrihew,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
When Brian and Murtagh report that Dougal offended the Grants and Colum had to promise Ellen’s hand to appease the situation, Lord Lovat squirms.—
Lincee Ray Published,
EW.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thrashes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thrashes. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
