lash out

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

lash out (third-person singular simple present lashes out, present participle lashing out, simple past and past participle lashed out)

1. To make a sudden violent attack.
   • 2019 September 18, Drachinifel, Battle of Tsushima - When the 2nd Pacific Squadron thought it couldn't get any worse...‎, archived from the original on 4 December 2022, retrieved 22 December 2022, 25:58 from the start:

     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.

2. (figurative) To make a fierce verbal attack.

   The man lashed out at me when I asked if it was his own hair.

   • 2021 October 17, Katrin Bennhold, “Fake Polls and Tabloid Coverage on Demand: The Dark Side of Sebastian Kurz”, in The New York Times‎, ISSN 0362-4331:

     He [Sebastian Kurz] has lashed out at the justice system, accusing prosecutors of being politically motivated.

3. (intransitive) To splash out (spend a lot of money)

• outlash