Definition

1. Noun:
   • A severe beating or physical punishment: The act of hitting someone repeatedly and violently, often as a form of corporal punishment.
   • A decisive defeat: A sound and often embarrassing defeat, especially in a competition, game, or conflict.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The child received a thrashing for his disobedience. (This describes a physical beating as punishment.)
  • Our team suffered a humiliating thrashing in the championship game. (This describes a severe defeat in sports.)

Advanced Usage

• "to give someone a thrashing": to beat someone severely or to defeat them decisively.

  • The older boy gave the bully a good thrashing. (He physically beat the bully.)
  • The debate team gave their opponents a thorough thrashing. (They defeated them decisively in the argument.)

• "to take a thrashing": to be beaten severely or to be defeated decisively.

  • The boxer took a terrible thrashing but refused to quit. (He endured a severe physical beating.)
  • The company's stock took a thrashing after the scandal was revealed. (It suffered a severe financial loss or decline.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thrash (verb): To beat severely; to move violently; to defeat decisively.

  • The waves thrashed against the shore. (Moved violently)
  • He thrashed his opponent in the chess match. (Defeated decisively)

• Thrasher (noun): One who thrashes; also a type of bird.

Synonyms

• Beating: A punishment or assault involving hitting.
• Drubbing: A severe defeat.
• Trouncing: A thorough defeat or beating.
• Whipping: A beating, especially with a whip, or a decisive defeat.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Thrash out (phrasal verb): To discuss something thoroughly to reach a conclusion or agreement.
  • The committee will need to thrash out the details of the proposal. (This is a separate, idiomatic use of the verb "thrash" and is not directly related to the noun "thrashing" meaning a beating/defeat.)

Related Idioms

• "A thrashing machine": (Informal) Someone or something that inflicts severe defeats or beatings.
  • That new boxer is a real thrashing machine; he's won all his fights by knockout.

Noun

1. the act of inflicting corporal punishment with repeated blows
2. a sound defeat