threshing

verb

present participle of thresh
1
as in twitching
to make jerky or restless movements the poor dog threshed against his chain

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pounding
to strike repeatedly he threshed the whimpering dog with his cane

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 threshing 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threshing
  1. twitching
  2. pounding
  3. tossing
  4. licking
  5. jerking
  6. lashing
  7. fidgeting
  8. whipping
Verb
  • This is not easy for Robin (Griffin), who, judging by his nervously twitching legs and tendency to info-dump on interlocutors, finds ordinary interactions very stressful.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Green said his symptoms began when his feet started twitching in his sleep.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
Definition of twitching
Verb
  • Groups of young people were seen dancing with music pounding through the crowd as meters away tear gas billowed into the air.
    — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • At the moment, the good detective is strutting around the float, kicking the wheels and pounding the floorboards.
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of pounding
Verb
  • The video showed the employee tossing the cash onto the front counter before the suspect grabbed the money and stuffed it into his pocket.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Arrange in a single layer and roast, tossing occasionally, until tender and browned, 15–25 minutes.
    — Rick Martinez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of tossing
Verb
  • Which is funny, because the cat-cow’s here in Crap Central with us, licking something off Carl’s boot.
    — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Teams have to be licking their chops after seeing what Tampa Bay did to Dallas last Thursday night, especially considering the defense (or lack thereof) that the Cowboys have shown through five weeks.
    — Jonathan Rubin, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of licking
Verb
  • And like any great sitcom, Friends runs the gamut from numbing brain-rot to tear-jerking sentimentality.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Even after a bailiff woke him up, Martin slumped over in his wheelchair, inside a courtroom bullpen, occasionally jerking and opening his eyes.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of jerking
Verb
  • Most of the students were accused of minor offenses, like making threats, using cannabis vapes or lashing out at classmates or teachers, the analysis found.
    — Kristian Hernández, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • More students ages 10 to 13 are ending up in the justice system after vaping, making threats and lashing out at school.
    — Rosie Cima, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of lashing
Verb
  • Following this concern, 55% of parents said their top concern was their child’s ability to complete multistep tasks such as homework while 45% of parents cited fidgeting.
    — Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The current boom is driven by Gen Z’s openness about mental health, social-commerce virality on TikTok and Etsy, and a broader nervous-system regulation movement that treats fidgeting as a legitimate coping tool rather than a bad habit.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of fidgeting
Verb
  • Now imagine whipping your phone out after work, telling the world about it, and landing a brand deal worth $10K or more.
    — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Now imagine the same hot and dry conditions, but with the Santa Anas whipping at 40 miles an hour.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of whipping

Browse Nearby Words

threshes
threshing
threshold
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Cite this Entry

“Threshing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threshing. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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