/ læʃ; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
to hit sb/sth with great force
SYN pound :
[ v + adv. / prep. ]
The rain lashed at the windows.
[ vn ]
Huge waves lashed the shore.
➡ note at beat
2.
[ vn ] to hit a person or an animal with a whip , rope, stick, etc.
SYN beat
3.
[ vn ] to criticize sb/sth in a very angry way
SYN attack
4.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to fasten sth tightly to sth else with ropes :
Several logs had been lashed together to make a raft.
During the storm everything on deck had to be lashed down.
5.
to move or to move sth quickly and violently from side to side :
[ v ]
The crocodile's tail was lashing furiously from side to side.
[also vn ]
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- lash out (at sb/sth)
- lash out on sth
■ noun
1.
= eyelash :
her long dark lashes
2.
a hit with a whip , given as a form of punishment :
They each received 20 lashes for stealing.
( figurative )
to feel the lash of sb's tongue (= to be spoken to in an angry and critical way)
3.
the thin leather part at the end of a whip
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense make a sudden movement ): probably imitative.