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
  • Green said his symptoms began when his feet started twitching in his sleep.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
  • Somewhere, John Tortorella's eye is twitching with rage after that.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of twitching
Verb
  • Still, the stock is a table-pounding buy for analysts led by McShane.
    — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026
  • On offense, that means pounding the rock with a stout run game and letting that set up the passing attack.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of pounding
Verb
  • Simmer the pasta in the sauce, gently stirring and tossing occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • But on a recent day, Aly was salvaging bricks from his razed home, tossing the good ones in a pile to sell to construction companies.
    — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of tossing
Verb
  • One act featured two young women sitting on the stage and licking orange Popsicles (yes, that was the whole act).
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Owners should also watch for licking that is sudden, persistent or severe enough to cause hair loss or skin damage.
    — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of licking
Verb
  • The production’s winking tone blunts some of the original’s tear-jerking climax, yet its intact happy ending offers a surprisingly comforting vision of survival in an age of constant crises.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Henry drove off and sped up to 45 mph before jerking the car.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of jerking
Verb
  • 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
  • Odysseus ended up lashing himself to the mast and ordering his crew to plug their ears with wax.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Aug. 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
  • Two months later, the couple went Instagram official, as the SKIMS founder was featured in a video which showed the F1 driver whipping around in his Ferrari F40 at the Daikoku Parking Area in Tokyo, Japan.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Mercedes removed Willow’s cat, but Willow answered by whipping Mercedes with the AEW Women’s World Championship belt.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 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 9 Sep. 2026.

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