What does "lash" mean?
The thong or braided cord of a whip, with which the blow is given.
Lash
adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·1 syllable ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The thong or braided cord of a whip, with which the blow is given.
- Grammar: lash is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: eyelash, whip, anchor, assail.
- Useful contrasts: calm, caress, comfort.
- Usage evidence: Don't lash out at me just because my brother treated you badly.
How to use "lash"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lash" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "lash" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "lash" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lash" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "lash" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "eyelash" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lash", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The thong or braided cord of a whip, with which the blow is given.
"I observed that your whip wanted a lash to it."
- 2 Looseness between fitted parts, either intentional (as allowance) or unintentional (from error or wear). uncountable
"setting the proper valve lash for solid lifters"
- 3 a quick blow delivered with a whip or whiplike object wordnet
- 4 A leash in which an animal is caught or held; hence, a snare. obsolete
- 5 leather strip that forms the flexible part of a whip wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 A stroke with a whip, or anything pliant and tough, often given as a punishment.
"The culprit received thirty-nine lashes."
- 7 any of the short curved hairs that grow from the edges of the eyelids wordnet
- 8 A quick and violent sweeping movement, as of an animal's tail; a swish.
- 9 A stroke of satire or sarcasm; an expression or retort that cuts or gives pain; a cut.
"The moral is a lash at the vanity of arrogating that to ourselves which succeeds well."
- 10 A hair growing from the edge of the eyelid; an eyelash.
"But Richmond, his grandfather's darling, after one thoughtful glance cast under his lashes at that uncompromising countenance appeared to lose himself in his own reflections."
- 11 In carpet weaving, a group of strings for lifting simultaneously certain yarns, to form the figure.
- 12 Flowering plants of genus Blepharis.
- 13 An attempt; a go at something. Australia, Ireland, New-Zealand, informal
"I'll have a lash."
- 14 A quantity, a great number or amount (e.g. of rain or milk).
"the Ayrshire cow gives a lash of milk on comparatively bare pasture"
Verb
- 1 To strike with a lash; to whip or scourge with a lash, or with something like one. transitive
"We lash the pupil, and defraud the ward"
- 2 To bind with a rope, cord, thong, or chain, so as to fasten. transitive
"to lash something to a spar"
- 3 bind with a rope, chain, or cord wordnet
- 4 To strike forcibly and quickly, as with a lash; to beat, or beat upon, with a motion like that of a lash. transitive
"Carlo Ancelotti's out-of-sorts team struggled to hit the target in the first half as Bolton threatened with Matthew Taylor lashing just wide."
- 5 strike as if by whipping wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 To throw out with a jerk or quickly. transitive
"He falls, and lashing up his heels, his rider throws."
- 7 beat severely with a whip or rod wordnet
- 8 To scold; or to satirize; to censure with severity. transitive
- 9 lash or flick about sharply wordnet
- 10 To ply the whip; to strike. intransitive
- 11 To strike vigorously; to let fly. intransitive
"In the final minute of six added on, Colombia would undo their good work, though, Pérez fumbling the ball allowing Hemp to lash into the empty net."
- 12 To utter censure or sarcastic language. intransitive
"To laugh at follies, or to lash at vice."
- 13 To fall heavily, especially in the phrase lash down. intransitive
"With rain lashing across the ground at kick-off and every man in Auckland seemingly either English-born or supporting Scotland, Eden Park was transformed into Murrayfield in March."
- 14 Used in phrasal verbs: lash back, lash out.
Adjective
- 1 Remiss, lax. obsolete
- 2 Acronym of lighter-aboard-ship. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, not-comparable
- 3 Relaxed. obsolete
- 4 Soft, watery, wet.
"Fruits being unwholesome and lash before the fourth or fifth Yeare."
- 5 Excellent, wonderful. Ulster
"We’re off school tomorrow, it’s gonna be lash!"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Drunk. British, slang
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"Don't lash out at me just because my brother treated you badly."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lash"?
Common synonyms include: eyelash, whip, anchor, assail, attack, backlash.
How do you use "lash" in a sentence?
Don't lash out at me just because my brother treated you badly.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English lashe, lasshe, lasche (“a stroke; the flexible end of a whip”), from Proto-Germanic *laskô (“flap of fabric, strap”). Cognate with Dutch lasch, las (“a piece; seal; joint; notch; seam”), German Low German Laske, Lask (“a flap; dag; strap”), German Lasche (“a flap; joint; strap; tongue; scarf”), Swedish lask (“scarf”), Icelandic laski (“the bottom part of a glove”).
Etymology 2
From Middle French lachier, from Old French lacier (“to lace”).
Etymology 3
From Old French lasche (French lâche).