1
as in to twitch
to make jerky or restless movements
the poor dog threshed against his chain
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2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
he threshed the whimpering dog with his cane
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Recent Examples of thresh
The second one came to the top only a couple of yards from the raft and threw the spoon with a rolling, threshing twist of its whole body.
—
Ben East, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
On the precipice For all their importance to the smooth running of nature’s threshing machine, vultures themselves are being mowed under at an alarming rate.
—Natalie Angier, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023
The hurricane with no name threshed across the Atlantic coast in mid-September 1713, ripping at tobacco crops and sending panicked colonists inland, where the storm's destructive power found them.
—oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2019
Vintage tractors, trucks, cars and motorcycles will be on display, and there will be a Parade of Power, tractor pulls and demonstrations of threshing, horse plowing, butter churning, blacksmithing and more.
—Phil Marty, chicagotribune.com, 29 July 2019
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, 17 Apr. 2018
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, 19 Mar. 2018
Deuteronomy 25:4 prohibits the muzzling of an ox that is threshing.
—Karen Swallow Prior, Washington Post, 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, 3 Feb. 2017
Ben East, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
On the precipice For all their importance to the smooth running of nature’s threshing machine, vultures themselves are being mowed under at an alarming rate.
—Natalie Angier, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023
The hurricane with no name threshed across the Atlantic coast in mid-September 1713, ripping at tobacco crops and sending panicked colonists inland, where the storm's destructive power found them.
—oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2019
Vintage tractors, trucks, cars and motorcycles will be on display, and there will be a Parade of Power, tractor pulls and demonstrations of threshing, horse plowing, butter churning, blacksmithing and more.
—Phil Marty, chicagotribune.com, 29 July 2019
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, 17 Apr. 2018
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, 19 Mar. 2018
Deuteronomy 25:4 prohibits the muzzling of an ox that is threshing.
—Karen Swallow Prior, Washington Post, 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, 3 Feb. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thresh
Verb
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The launch can also be viewed on NASA's social media platforms include Facebook, twitch and X as well as NASA+, the agency's streaming service.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Curry’s body began convulsing and twitching with increasing severity, consistent with him sustaining a traumatic brain injury from being punched in the face, documents state.—
Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Five caribou stood licking at the stain.—
Frank Glaser,
Outdoor Life,
1 Apr. 2026
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The department shared photos of Ziggy, still wearing a bandage on his left hind leg, jumping up and licking Spring's face during a recent visit.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Just toss the frozen veg with the hot pasta at the end to warm through.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
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On a night where Clay Holmes was dominant, tossing seven scoreless innings with four strikeouts, Roupp exceeded his minuscule margin of error.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The school had also employed about two dozen teachers and administrative staff, many of whom were young graduates in their 20s now without an income – at a time when their nation’s already struggling economy has been further pounded by war.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
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Wild video captured the moment a young fisherman plunged into pounding Southern California surf to wrestle a thrashing shark and free it from his fishing line.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The design was inspired by the hair-tearing boredom of COVID lockdown-era remote work, a time in which Knafs founder Ben Petersen maintained sanity during Zoom calls by fidgeting around with pocket knives and doodling pictures.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Mar. 2026
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One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Children too short to see the stage stood on their tip-toes to watch Kevin Reyes, the actor who played the part of Jesus, being whipped.—
Laura Turbay,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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The famously-shy sophomore obliged, several of her teammates whipping out their phones to record the big moment.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Did the answers — and unknowns — make people hesitate and squirm?—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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There will be no squirming tonight.—
Addie Citchens,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Senior Assistant County Attorney Bryan Schmid argued in court filings that Scott failed to show the law is unconstitutional and suggested that Scott could create his website and post his videos with redactions to hide the personal information in the clips.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
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Check and uncheck the boxes next each candidate to show/hide their responses.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thresh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thresh. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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