as in hammering
Related Words
Relevance
1
as in whipping
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
2
as in hiding
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
thrashed the poor horse with a riding crop
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in pounding
to strike repeatedly
the tree branches thrashed the sides of the house as the storm continued to rage
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in tossing
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 thrashing
Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 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
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Dec. 2025
However, if the prey was stuck in the web and struggling (thrashing about), the stabilimenta successfully transmitted the alarm to a wider area of the web.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thrashing
Noun
How to Watch Memphis vs UAB Memphis returns from a bye following a 45-7 thrashing of Tulsa that improved the Tigers to 2-0 in The American.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 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
Verb
Germany clinched its spot in the World Cup by thrashing Slovakia 6-0.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Dec. 2025
However, if the prey was stuck in the web and struggling (thrashing about), the stabilimenta successfully transmitted the alarm to a wider area of the web.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thrashing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thrashing
Noun
-
Eric Freeny blocked Smith, Bilodeau grabbed the loose ball and threw an outlet to Dailey for a hammering dunk.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Moscow has kept up its hammering of Ukraine’s energy grid in overnight attacks that killed at least two people, according to Ukrainian officials.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Doncic played a role in both clutch shots, first whipping a one-handed pass behind his back across the court to Gabe Vincent, who shoveled the ball with one hand to Hachimura.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Would the place that had been home for months withstand the whipping winds?—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The novel is described as a reimagination of Cinderella, with Sophie and Benedict meeting at a masquerade ball, with Sophie hiding her identity because of her role as a maid.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
29 Jan. 2026
-
In the late 1700s, when the Spanish built missions nearby at San Juan Bautista, Santa Clara, Carmel and Santa Cruz, natives often fled to avoid cruel conditions, tribal leaders have noted, hiding on Sargent Ranch, in the hills of Pacheco Pass, and other remote locations.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Archival footage illustrates, in pulse-pounding and nerve-rattling fashion, just how widespread calls for Rushdie’s murder were.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
-
By Jason Mackey Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PALM BEACH GARDENS — The pop of a catcher’s mitt mixed with saws screeching and hammers pounding provides an appropriate soundtrack inside Paul Skenes’ offseason workout facility, a baseball-lover’s paradise and an encapsulation of his unique personality.—
Tribune News Service,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Soon after, federal agents began tossing tear gas toward the crowd and police, who were not wearing protective gear, video shows.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
-
For more than 60 years (approximately 1906 to 1967), three beaches in Fort Bragg were used as dump sites, with people tossing household goods, glass, and more into the sea without much thought about the environmental consequences.—
Chelsee Lowe,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Powell, known for a cool head and a quiet demeanor, has consistently avoided direct confrontations with Trump, even as the president's personal displeasure with the Fed chair escalated from behind the scenes pressure to public bashing.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
21 Jan. 2026
-
In the same way that writing had taught me to pay attention to life, to perpetually hoover up sensory details and bits of dialogue around me, trash bashing cultivated a new propensity for seeing interesting possibilities in everyday items.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Late in the mess that was the Rams’ final game of the season, Sean McVay was seen frustratingly burying his face in his play card.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Drake Powell followed by scoring six straight points himself, burying a 3 over Jaylen Brown before finishing a tough fadeaway in the lane plus the foul.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
According to Reagan Republicans, America’s problems could be solved by cutting federal spending, slashing taxes, and gutting regulations on business.—
Heather Ann Thompson,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
-
On the brink of dropping a third straight game — and potentially slashing the team’s hopes of a run in March — Mark Mitchell rescued his Missouri Tigers with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer as the clock expired in Columbia.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thrashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thrashing. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
