1
as in to twitch
to make jerky or restless movements
the poor dog threshed against his chain
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
he threshed the whimpering dog with his cane
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Recent Examples of thresh
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
On the precipice For all their importance to the smooth running of nature’s threshing machine, vultures themselves are being mowed under at an alarming rate.
—Natalie Angier, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023
The hurricane with no name threshed across the Atlantic coast in mid-September 1713, ripping at tobacco crops and sending panicked colonists inland, where the storm's destructive power found them.
—oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2019
Vintage tractors, trucks, cars and motorcycles will be on display, and there will be a Parade of Power, tractor pulls and demonstrations of threshing, horse plowing, butter churning, blacksmithing and more.
—Phil Marty, chicagotribune.com, 29 July 2019
In the San Joaquin Valley, beans are harvested by a machine called Big Bertha, which can pick and thresh fifty thousand pounds a day.
—Junot Díaz, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2018
Subrat Chandra Gayen, another resident of Joymoni, said nearly 80 percent of families have had to give up on rice farming, which once provided food and an income for most people in the area, including women who sowed, harvested, and threshed it.
—Manipadma Jena, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Mar. 2018
Deuteronomy 25:4 prohibits the muzzling of an ox that is threshing.
—Karen Swallow Prior, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2018
Sometimes scenes of hunting, netting fish, herding and butchering animals, threshing grain and other farming activities were carved or painted directly onto tomb walls, as in the exquisite murals at the ancient burial grounds at Saqqara near Cairo.
—Salima Ikram, Smithsonian, 3 Feb. 2017
Ben East, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
On the precipice For all their importance to the smooth running of nature’s threshing machine, vultures themselves are being mowed under at an alarming rate.
—Natalie Angier, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023
The hurricane with no name threshed across the Atlantic coast in mid-September 1713, ripping at tobacco crops and sending panicked colonists inland, where the storm's destructive power found them.
—oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2019
Vintage tractors, trucks, cars and motorcycles will be on display, and there will be a Parade of Power, tractor pulls and demonstrations of threshing, horse plowing, butter churning, blacksmithing and more.
—Phil Marty, chicagotribune.com, 29 July 2019
In the San Joaquin Valley, beans are harvested by a machine called Big Bertha, which can pick and thresh fifty thousand pounds a day.
—Junot Díaz, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2018
Subrat Chandra Gayen, another resident of Joymoni, said nearly 80 percent of families have had to give up on rice farming, which once provided food and an income for most people in the area, including women who sowed, harvested, and threshed it.
—Manipadma Jena, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Mar. 2018
Deuteronomy 25:4 prohibits the muzzling of an ox that is threshing.
—Karen Swallow Prior, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2018
Sometimes scenes of hunting, netting fish, herding and butchering animals, threshing grain and other farming activities were carved or painted directly onto tomb walls, as in the exquisite murals at the ancient burial grounds at Saqqara near Cairo.
—Salima Ikram, Smithsonian, 3 Feb. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thresh
Verb
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The bonito’s body twitched until Yamasaki slid a thin metal wire down the column of its spinal cord, a second step called shinkei jime, which arrests its nervous system.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
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Persistent muscle twitches Everyone’s muscles twitch from time to time, usually at various locations.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
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England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This hearing is the second in the defense team’s bid to get the county attorney’s office tossed from the case, citing a conflict of interest.—
Andi Babineau,
CNN Money,
2 Feb. 2026
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Reigns would eventually hit the spear on Gunther and toss him over the ropes for the win.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Russia has been pounding Ukraine's critical infrastructure, hoping to wear down public resistance to the war while leaving many around the country having to endure the dead of winter without heat.—
AAMER MADHANI AND SUSIE BLANN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
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For now, however, the first part of the season mostly succeeds at balancing power dynamics and pulse-pounding romance, with a major assist from the warm and hot chemistry between season leads Luke Thompson and series newbie Yerin Ha.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Saturday’s game is also being advertised an autism awareness night, offering earplugs, fidget toys and a sensory break area for fans who plan to attend.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Jan. 2026
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Minimal but purposeful movement, avoiding fidgeting or excessive gestures, shows intention.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even then, though, leadership didn’t whip against the bill, which ultimately passed with seven Democrats voting in favor.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
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In an age when polarized politics have whipped extremists into a frenzy and disagreeing with someone’s views justifies physical assault among fringe elements, the assault on Omar is a new abysmal milestone of societal degradation.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The quarterly ritual when companies publicly measure themselves up against analyst estimates, squirm through conference calls, and brace for big after-hours stock moves.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
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There is another issue, of course, squirming away in the soft flesh of maternity leave.—
Nell Frizzell,
Vogue,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As my colleague Adam Serwer has written, many Minnesotans are engaging in protests and efforts to deliver food and supplies to families in hiding.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
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Asked whether the 2-0 derby defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on January 17 might have gone a different way had Diogo Dalot been red-carded in the 11th minute for a knee-high foul on Jeremy Doku, Guardiola was insistent that his Manchester City team could not hide behind the decision.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thresh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thresh. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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