MEANING
To discuss a problem thoroughly until an agreement or workable solution is reached.
Use it for
working out details through discussion; negotiating until an agreement is reached; resolving a difficult issue together; debating a problem thoroughly to find a solutionDescribes reaching an agreement or solution through thorough, sometimes difficult discussion. Writing functions: Resolving through detailed discussion. Semantic categories (by meaning): Problem-solving; Negotiation. Contexts: General conversation; Business.
On the page
The teams stayed late to thrash out the revised timetable.
We need to thrash this out before either department signs the contract.
Word forms
- Base
- thrash out
- Past tense
- thrashed out
- Past participle
- thrashed out
- Present participle
- thrashing out
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- thrash out
- Present continuous
- am/is/are thrashing out
- Present perfect
- have/has thrashed out
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been thrashing out
- Past
- thrashed out
- Past continuous
- was/were thrashing out
- Past perfect
- had thrashed out
- Past perfect continuous
- had been thrashing out
- Future
- will thrash out
- Future continuous
- will be thrashing out
- Future perfect
- will have thrashed out
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been thrashing out
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Separable transitive phrasal verb: thrash something out; thrash it out. Forms: thrashes out; thrashed out; thrashed out; thrashing out. Register: informal. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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