threshing

verb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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
  • One man was already pounding another's head into a small hole that prisoners used as a toilet.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Breaking Benjamin As pounding as any heavy metal band, this Pennsylvania group hammers its way to surprisingly melodic choruses.
    — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of pounding
Verb
  • Instead of tossing the meat in mayo, the restaurant drizzles the mayo on top of the lobster roll in a zigzag pattern.
    — Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Maye has thrown only one touchdown pass so far this season after tossing 31 a year ago.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of tossing
Verb
  • The team also pointed out that the same circuit is responsible for the expression of normal, context-appropriate grooming and licking.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026
  • In the post, Wouter was pictured wearing a dog cone, which is used to prevent pets from licking, chewing or scratching surgical sites or wounds.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 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
  • These are just two of the many scenes of destruction the hurricane has left in Hawaii after lashing the state’s western islands with heavy rain, widespread flooding and tropical-storm-force winds on Monday and Tuesday.
    — Liz Kreutz, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
  • This week’s meeting of G20 finance ministers underscored rising global trade tensions, with several countries, including the US, lashing out at China.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 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
  • In whipping rain and wind in New Jersey, the New York Giants held on for a 12-7 win in their first game since quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Goalkeeper Emi Martinez floated a ball over Ezri Konsa to Rogers, who exchanged passes with Joao Pedro before shifting sharply onto his right foot and whipping a shot just wide of David Raya’s far post.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 7 Sep. 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 4 Oct. 2026.

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