thrash
1 of 2verb
ˈthrash 
thrashed; thrashing; thrashes
transitive verb
1
a
: to beat soundly with or as if with a stick or whip : flog
b
: to defeat decisively or severely
thrashed the visiting team
2
: to swing, beat, or strike in the manner of a rapidly moving flail
thrashing his arms
3
a
: to go over again and again
thrash the matter over inconclusively
b
: to hammer out : forge
thrash out a plan
4
: to separate the seeds of from the husks and straw by beating : thresh sense 1
intransitive verb
1
: to move or stir about violently : toss about
thrash in bed with a fever
2
: to deal blows or strokes like one using a flail or whip
3
: thresh sense 1
thrash
2 of 2noun
1
: an act of thrashing
2
: rock music (such as heavy metal or punk rock) that is extremely fast and loud
Synonyms
Verb
- annihilate
- blow away
- bomb
- bury
- clobber
- cream
- drub
- dust
- flatten
- paste
- rout
- shellac
- skin
- skunk
- smoke [slang]
- smother
- snow under
- trim
- tromp
- trounce
- wallop
- wax [slang]
- whip
- whomp
- whop
- whap
- whup
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb He thrashed me with his belt. The team thrashed them last week. Something was thrashing wildly in the water. She thrashed around in her sleep. Noun The shark swam away with a thrash of its tail.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jordan Miller, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Aug. 2022 Other prevention measures include to check fishing bait before buying it and staying away from those that thrash strongly. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 26 July 2022 Managers in the three lower basin states are now gearing up to thrash out a new compact by 2026. San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2022 Was that like for you to be thrashed around or thrash yourself around in that way? Adam B. Vary, Variety, 25 May 2022 The two parties signaled a willingness to thrash out the details of a funding strategy for the pipeline in coming days. Joshua Emerson Smith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2022 Metallica came out of—helped invent—thrash metal: speed, intricacy, overload. James Parker, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2022 Sharks thrash about in the turbid water between us and the man. Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2022 Hoping to avoid that fate, the league set a 5 p.m. Eastern deadline on Tuesday to thrash out an agreement. Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2022 Joe Lindsey, Outside Online, 28 July 2020 The thrash of hardcore was still a few years down the pike. New York Times, 3 Aug. 2022 On a remote dirt road in northwest China’s Qinghai Plateau, a four-piece band dressed in hazmat suits and gas masks launches into a thrash metal number about the dangers of burning trash. Vic Chiang, Washington Post, 26 July 2022 Even Ministry’s later dated political junk food thrash is better than this! Liza Lentini, SPIN, 20 July 2022 The thrash metal hit was featured in the two-hour finale of the show, as part of Eddie Munson's masterful plan to distract the deadly bats protecting the lair of evil villain Vecna. Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE.com, 4 July 2022 Anthrax were part of the thrash-metal Big Four, alongside Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 1 July 2022 Not only did the band founded in 1984 by Max and Iggor Cavalera raise the profile of Brazil, where the brothers were born, but those albums continue to influence thrash and death metal. Jessi Virtusio, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2022 Slayer’s Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman Scarier and more brutal than the rest of thrash’s Big Four put together. Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 30 Jan. 2022 See More
Verb
Brandon then continues to thrash while being pinned against the gravel, and an officer repeatedly tells him to stop. Jordan Miller, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Aug. 2022 Other prevention measures include to check fishing bait before buying it and staying away from those that thrash strongly. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 26 July 2022 Managers in the three lower basin states are now gearing up to thrash out a new compact by 2026. San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2022 Was that like for you to be thrashed around or thrash yourself around in that way? Adam B. Vary, Variety, 25 May 2022 The two parties signaled a willingness to thrash out the details of a funding strategy for the pipeline in coming days. Joshua Emerson Smith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2022 Metallica came out of—helped invent—thrash metal: speed, intricacy, overload. James Parker, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2022 Sharks thrash about in the turbid water between us and the man. Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2022 Hoping to avoid that fate, the league set a 5 p.m. Eastern deadline on Tuesday to thrash out an agreement. Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2022 Noun
Why are some tubeless installs easy and others a multi-hour thrash session punctuated by merchant-marine levels of cursing? Joe Lindsey, Outside Online, 28 July 2020 The thrash of hardcore was still a few years down the pike. New York Times, 3 Aug. 2022 On a remote dirt road in northwest China’s Qinghai Plateau, a four-piece band dressed in hazmat suits and gas masks launches into a thrash metal number about the dangers of burning trash. Vic Chiang, Washington Post, 26 July 2022 Even Ministry’s later dated political junk food thrash is better than this! Liza Lentini, SPIN, 20 July 2022 The thrash metal hit was featured in the two-hour finale of the show, as part of Eddie Munson's masterful plan to distract the deadly bats protecting the lair of evil villain Vecna. Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE.com, 4 July 2022 Anthrax were part of the thrash-metal Big Four, alongside Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 1 July 2022 Not only did the band founded in 1984 by Max and Iggor Cavalera raise the profile of Brazil, where the brothers were born, but those albums continue to influence thrash and death metal. Jessi Virtusio, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2022 Slayer’s Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman Scarier and more brutal than the rest of thrash’s Big Four put together. Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 30 Jan. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
alteration of thresh
First Known Use
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3
Noun
1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing thrash
Kids Definition
thrash
verb
ˈthrash
thrashed; thrashing
1
: to beat very hard
2
: to move about violently
Something was thrashing wildly in the brush.
3
: thresh sense 1
thrash
verb
1
as in to whip
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
Relevance
- whip
- bury
- beat
- clobber
- bomb
- trounce
- overcome
- master
- drub
- smother
- dust
- annihilate
- rout
- throw
- flatten
- upset
- wallop
- whup
- top
- blow away
- whomp
- trim
- smoke
- cream
- skin
- snow under
- wax
- skunk
- paste
- sweep
- overwhelm
- whop
- tromp
- shellac
- score
- take
- destroy
- dispatch
- whap
- conquer
- lick
- surpass
- run rings around
- eat alive
- exceed
- succeed
- cap
- crush
- best
- beat the pants off
- better
- slaughter
- worst
- run circles around
- subdue
- finish
- outdo
- vanquish
- overthrow
- wipe the floor with
- subjugate
- overbear
- wipe the ground with
- overpower
- overmatch
- upend
- surmount
- transcend
- excel
- hurdle
- eclipse
- break
- outdistance
- knock over
- outstrip
- outshine
- overtop
- pip
- flourish
- outfight
- knock off
- sink
- nose out
- win (against)
- triumph (over)
- prevail (over)
- edge (out)
- ace (out)
- do in
2
as in to slash
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible thrashed the poor horse with a riding crop Synonyms & Similar Words
- whip
- slash
- hide
- flick
- flail
- spank
- slap
- lash
- leather
- hit
- switch
- lick
- flog
- maul
- knock
- flagellate
- bang
- scourge
- cut
- punch
- whale
- horsewhip
- birch
- smack
- bat
- cowhide
- rawhide
- beat
- tan
- thump
- pound
- whack
- strap
- swipe
- clap
- clip
- pummel
- knout
- club
- swat
- bop
- bludgeon
- quirt
- cane
- cudgel
- clobber
- bash
- box
- hammer
- smite
- slug
- pelt
- drub
- thwack
- mangle
- touch up
- paddle
- crack
- rough
- sock
- wallop
- batter
- blackjack
- thresh
- bung
- lambaste
- buffet
- clout
- whup
- cuff
- slog
- slate
- pistol-whip
- belt
- work over
- paste
- lace
- bust
- lather
- pommel
- lam
- fustigate
- whop
- lambast
- baste
- tromp
- whap
- fib
- belabor
3
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly the tree branches thrashed the sides of the house as the storm continued to rage Synonyms & Similar Words
- lick
- beat
- lash
- pound
- thump
- whip
- attack
- hide
- spank
- slap
- smash
- knock
- maul
- pummel
- hit
- do
- pelt
- assault
- slam
- batter
- punch
- bat
- bludgeon
- bash
- chop
- hammer
- club
- raid
- paddle
- smack
- flog
- thresh
- drub
- punch out
- storm
- wallop
- buffet
- whale
- birch
- curry
- switch
- slog
- whack
- slate
- work over
- belt
- tan
- lather
- pommel
- lace
- box
- lambaste
- lambast
- swipe
- whup
- wound
- baste
- whap
- bung up
- tromp
- rush
- fib
- swat
- beat up on
- whop
- belabor
- thwack
- crack
- cudgel
- clobber
- assail
- leather
- strap
- lacerate
- sock
- gore
- flagellate
- scourge
- lay on
- clout
- cuff
- paste
- beset
- wham
- rough (up)
- whomp
- cane
- cowhide
- mangle
- mutilate
- mess (up)
- rawhide
- lam
- bust
- maim
- blackjack
- horsewhip
- pistol-whip
- descend (on or upon)
- pounce (on or upon)
- fustigate
- jump (on)
4
as in to toss
to make jerky or restless movements in obvious pain, the wounded soldier thrashed about his cot Synonyms & Similar Words
- toss
- twitch
- squirm
- jerk
- fiddle
- twist
- fidget
- wiggle
- shake
- writhe
- thresh
- wriggle
- tremble
- shiver
- jig
- shudder
- flutter
- quiver
- jiggle
- flit
- pace
- quake
- squiggle
- twitter
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- rest
- calm (down)
- relax
- unwind
- still
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of thrash are brandish, flourish, swing, and wave. While all these words mean "to wield or cause to move to and fro or up and down," thrash suggests vigorous, abrupt, violent movement.
an infant thrashing his arms about
While the synonyms brandish and thrash are close in meaning, brandish implies threatening or menacing motion.
brandishing a knife
The words flourish and thrash are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, flourish suggests vigorous, ostentatious, graceful movement.
flourished the winning lottery ticket
Although the words swing and thrash have much in common, swing implies regular or uniform movement.
swing the rope back and forth
In some situations, the words wave and thrash are roughly equivalent. However, wave usually implies smooth or continuous motion.
waving the flag