Meanings
present singular third person lashes out · participle present lashing out · participle past lashed out · past lashed out
- To make a sudden violent attack.
1 more example
Four Japanese torpedo boats launch an attack on the Suvorov. Despite burning steadily for several hours and now taking a torpedo to the stern, the ship still lashes out at its attackers with a few remaining guns. With no pressing need to continue the attack to closer range, the torpedo boats fall back, noting the position for a night attack if Suvorov survives that long.
2019 September 18, Drachinifel, 25:58 from the start, in Battle of Tsushima - When the 2nd Pacific Squadron thought it couldn't get any worse..., archived from the original on 04 Dec 2022 - figurativelyTo make a fierce verbal attack.
The man lashed out at me when I asked if it was his own hair.
4 more examples
He [Sebastian Kurz] has lashed out at the justice system, accusing prosecutors of being politically motivated.
2021 October 17, Katrin Bennhold, “Fake Polls and Tabloid Coverage on Demand: The Dark Side of Sebastian Kurz”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 26 Nov 2021Donald Trump has lashed out against his own supporters, calling them gullible “weaklings” for questioning the transparency of a secretive government inquiry into the late high-profile socialite and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
2025 July 17, Oliver Holmes, “Trump calls Epstein conspiracy a ‘hoax’ and turns on Maga ‘weaklings’”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 10 Aug 2025Vice President J. D. Vance has lashed out at [Gavin] Newsom, telling Fox that the Californian’s attacks aren’t landing, because his trolling “ignores the fundamental genius of President Trump’s political success, which is that he’s authentic” […]
2025 August 22, Tom Nichols, “MAGA World Is So Close to Getting It”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 22 Aug 2025In August 2025, during a media conference at Luthuli House in Johannesburg on the outcomes of the ANC’s recent National Executive Committee meeting, Fikile Mbalula, Secretary General of the ANC, lashed out at white South Africans and Afrikaner refugees to the US.
2025 November 28, “The World Must Know”, in AfriForum, archived from the original on 08 Dec 2025, page 5 - intransitiveTo splash out (spend a lot of money).
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
For the verb's chief current sense (to attack suddenly), by surface analysis suggests reaching out with the lash (either literally or figuratively); however, the verb is entered in various early-19th-century dictionaries with various senses, only some of which have to do with attacking, kicking, or similar. One of them corresponds to today's splash out (that is, to break out into spending), while another corresponds to breaking out into expressing oneself verbally.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian нападам внезапно, критикувам остро
- нападам внезапно (napadam vnezapno)To make a sudden violent attack
- критикувам остро (kritikuvam ostro)To make a fierce verbal attack
Finnish ärjäistä, kivahtaa
- ärjäistäTo make a fierce verbal attack
- kivahtaaTo make a fierce verbal attack
- raivotaTo make a fierce verbal attack
French vitupérer
- vitupérerTo make a fierce verbal attack
Italian vituperare
- vituperareTo make a fierce verbal attack
Japanese 突っ掛かる, 突っ掛かる
- 突っ掛かる (tsukkakaru)To make a sudden violent attack
- 突っ掛かる (tsukkakaru)To make a fierce verbal attack
Polish uderzać, uderzyć
- uderzaćTo make a sudden violent attack
- uderzyćTo make a sudden violent attack
- atakowaćTo make a sudden violent attack
- zaatakowaćTo make a sudden violent attack
- naskakiwaćTo make a fierce verbal attack
- naskoczyćTo make a fierce verbal attack
Portuguese vituperar
- vituperarTo make a fierce verbal attack
Spanish agredir, atacar
- agredirTo make a sudden violent attack
- atacarTo make a sudden violent attack
- perder los estribosTo make a sudden violent attack
- soltar patadasTo make a sudden violent attack
- vituperarTo make a fierce verbal attack
- arremeterTo make a fierce verbal attack
Cite this entry
lash out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lash%20out
“lash out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lash%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lash out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lash%20out.
Source: lash out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.