Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To secure or bind, as with a rope, cord, or chain.
  • noun A stroke or blow with or as if with a whip.
  • noun A whip.
  • noun The flexible portion of a whip, such as a plait or thong.
  • noun Punishment administered with a whip.
  • noun A lacerating presence or power.
  • noun A caustic verbal attack.
  • noun An eyelash.
  • intransitive verb To strike with or as if with a whip.
  • intransitive verb To strike against with force or violence.
  • intransitive verb To beat or swing rapidly.
  • intransitive verb To make a scathing oral or written attack against.
  • intransitive verb To drive or goad; sting.
  • intransitive verb To move swiftly or violently; thrash.
  • intransitive verb To aim a sudden blow; strike.
  • intransitive verb To beat; flail.
  • intransitive verb To make a scathing verbal or written attack. Often used with out.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Slack; slow; sluggish; inactive.
  • Lax; loose; soft; hence, watery or insipid.
  • Moist and cold, as the weather.
  • noun A sort of soft leather.
  • noun The flexible part of a whip, usually a cord of braided strips of leather; hence, anything flexible used for flogging; a whip; a scourge: as, to lay on the lash; punishment by the lash.
  • noun A stroke with a whip or anything pliant and tough; hence, a stroke of satire; a sarcasm; an expression or retort that cuts or gives pain.
  • noun A beating or dashing, as of wind or water; a fluctuating impact.
  • noun In weaving, same as leash, 3.
  • noun An eyelash.
  • To strike with a lash, whip, scourge, or other pliant thing, as a thong, rope, etc.; whip; scourge; flog; subject to the lash as a punishment.
  • To satirize; censure with severity.
  • To fling or throw recklessly or at random: with out or up.
  • To spend recklessly.
  • To beat or dash against.
  • To comb (the hair).
  • To tie or bind with a rope or cord; secure or fasten, as by cordage: as, to lash anything to a mast or to a yard; to lash a trunk on a coach.
  • To ply the whip; strike (at something); aim sarcasms; hit out.
  • To strike or break out; burst up or out, as a wave or flame.
  • To strike out; plunge.
  • To break out or plunge recklessly.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The thong or braided cord of a whip, with which the blow is given.
  • noun obsolete A leash in which an animal is caught or held; hence, a snare.
  • noun A stroke with a whip, or anything pliant and tough.
  • noun A stroke of satire or sarcasm; an expression or retort that cuts or gives pain; a cut.
  • noun A hair growing from the edge of the eyelid; an eyelash.
  • noun In carpet weaving, a group of strings for lifting simultaneously certain yarns, to form the figure.
  • intransitive verb To ply the whip; to strike; to utter censure or sarcastic language.
  • intransitive verb to strike out wildly or furiously; also used figuratively.
  • transitive verb To strike with a lash; to whip or scourge with a lash, or with something like one.
  • transitive verb To strike forcibly and quickly, as with a lash; to beat, or beat upon, with a motion like that of a lash.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English lashen, lasen, to lace, from Old French lachier, lacier, from Vulgar Latin *laceāre, from Latin laqueāre, to ensnare, from laqueus, snare; see lace.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, probably from lashen, to deal a blow, perhaps of imitative origin.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

This definition is lacking an etymology or has an incomplete etymology. You can help Wiktionary by giving it a proper etymology.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French lasche (French lâche).

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Examples

Comments

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  • I see WordNet doesn't know about the boozing sense. A few years back 'stash =branded merchandise and lash' was a standard coupling around my university; I don't think I've seen it recently, but that may be a result of spending less time around undergrads.

    June 5, 2009

  • I'm familiar with on the lash, VO, but stash and lash? As in, dress up in designer gear and get pissed? Why bother with the first bit?

    June 5, 2009

  • Your local students' union may offer both university-branded merchandise for sale during the day and opportunities to get drunk at night. (In collegiate university towns it's not unusual to see people wearing college colours.)

    June 5, 2009

  • Right, I get it.

    June 5, 2009

  • British, then? Hasn't reached my ears over here. And can you say lashed for being drunk?

    June 5, 2009

  • I haven't heard it, but that doesn't mean much.

    June 5, 2009

  • I'm not sure I've heard it either, but it would almost certainly be understood. Some people might think you were on (alternative) drugs; it sounds a bit like mashed.

    June 5, 2009

  • i guess man! Stick to the plan. Get supercalfragilisticespeaodocious carried away in a lash. In the same day Hallucinate during lashing hours at work. Damn sure don't hurt. Built up testosterone make me want to merk. instead of lash out.

    April 2, 2023