1 C1 neutral
(Agriculture, literal) To separate grain from the stalks by beating; to thresh.
"Farmers would thresh out the wheat by hand before mechanical threshers were invented."
separable
thresh out
C1 formal separable transitive
An older variant of 'thrash out', meaning to resolve or settle something through discussion; also the literal agricultural process of separating grain from stalks.
In plain English
An old-fashioned way of saying 'to thrash out' — to solve a problem by talking about it a lot. Also literally means to separate grain from a plant.
What does "thresh out" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic formal
(Figurative, archaic) To resolve or settle a problem or dispute through thorough discussion.
"The lawyers hoped to thresh out their differences before going to court."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To beat grain so that the edible seeds separate from the stalks and husks.
Actually means
An old-fashioned way of saying 'to thrash out' — to solve a problem by talking about it a lot. Also literally means to separate grain from a plant.
Usage tip
The agricultural literal sense (separating grain using a flail) is the origin of both 'thresh out' and 'thrash out'. In the figurative sense, 'thresh out' is now rare and archaic; modern speakers use 'thrash out' instead. ESL learners are unlikely to need this form actively.
Words that pair with "thresh out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
problem question grain matter issue
How to conjugate "thresh out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
thresh out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
threshes out
he/she/it
Past simple
threshed out
yesterday
Past participle
threshed out
have + pp
-ing form
threshing out
continuous
Hear "thresh out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "thresh out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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