lash
/læʃ/noun, verb, adjective
lash is spelled L-A-S-H: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, lash means “The thong or braided cord of a whip, with which the blow is given” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of lash is lashes.
How many letters and syllables are in lash?
| Letters | 4: L-A-S-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.4 times per million words; the 17,587th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is lash?
Lash appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce lash?
- US /læʃ/
Lash has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-lash.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with lash?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as lash from its last stressed vowel (/æʃ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of lash
- lashes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- lashing participle, present
- lashed participle, past
- more lash comparative
- most lash superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lash mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The thong or braided cord of a whip, with which the blow is given.
- 2
obsoleteA leash in which an animal is caught or held; hence, a snare.
- 3
A stroke with a whip, or anything pliant and tough, often given as a punishment.
The culprit received thirty-nine lashes.
- 4
A quick and violent sweeping movement, as of an animal's tail; a swish.
- 5
A stroke of satire or sarcasm; an expression or retort that cuts or gives pain; a cut.
- 6
A hair growing from the edge of the eyelid; an eyelash.
- 7
In carpet weaving, a group of strings for lifting simultaneously certain yarns, to form the figure.
- 8
Flowering plants of genus Blepharis.
- 9
Looseness between fitted parts, either intentional (as allowance) or unintentional (from error or wear).
setting the proper valve lash for solid lifters
verb
- 1
To strike with a lash; to whip or scourge with a lash, or with something like one.
- 2
To strike forcibly and quickly, as with a lash; to beat, or beat upon, with a motion like that of a lash.
Heavy seas lashed the shore.
- 3
To throw out with a jerk or quickly.
- 4
To scold; or to satirize; to censure with severity.
- 5
To ply the whip; to strike.
- 6
To strike vigorously; to let fly.
- 7
To utter censure or sarcastic language.
- 8
To fall heavily, especially in the phrase lash down.
- 9
To bind with a rope, cord, thong, or chain, so as to fasten.
to lash something to a spar
adjective
- 1
obsoleteRemiss, lax.
- 2
obsoleteRelaxed.
- 3
Soft, watery, wet.
- 4
Excellent, wonderful.
We’re off school tomorrow, it’s gonna be lash!
- 5
UKslangDrunk.
adjective
- 1
Acronym of lighter-aboard-ship.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lash in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | lanière , coup de fouet , fouetter , gronder |
| German | Schlag, Peitschenschnur , Peitschenhieb, Hieb |
| Spanish | látigo, zurriagazo, latigazo , fustigar, hostigar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does lash come from?
From Middle English lashe, lasshe, lasche (“a stroke; the flexible end of a whip”), from Proto-Germanic *laskô (“flap of fabric, strap”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).