as in massacre
the killing of a large number of people
all civilized nations should protest this senseless slaughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to massacre
to kill on a large scale
modern poultry farms slaughter a vast number of chickens every day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of slaughter
Li-Young Lee, The Atlantic, 11 May 2025
Even after the slaughter of the animal, there’s no restitution for its owner or the audience.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
John M. Kinder, The Conversation, 1 May 2025
Of course, being an autocrat, Palpatine will use this attempt on his life to justify actually slaughtering thousands of Jedi.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slaughter
Noun
Because the world keeps beginning and ending the same way,
with the slaughter of the innocent,
with the massacre of the blameless,
and there’s not a thing anyone can do.
—Li-Young Lee, The Atlantic, 11 May 2025
Even after the slaughter of the animal, there’s no restitution for its owner or the audience.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
Verb
Other zoos did the same, slaughtering their animal collections as a precaution against possible escape.
—John M. Kinder, The Conversation, 1 May 2025
Of course, being an autocrat, Palpatine will use this attempt on his life to justify actually slaughtering thousands of Jedi.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slaughter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaughter
Noun
-
Breivik refers to Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a massacre in Norway in 2011 that targeted mostly teenagers at a camp.—
Evan Mealins,
USA Today,
25 May 2025
-
After the October 7 massacre, the Houthis in Yemen began attacking American naval vessels and conducting missile strikes on Israel in solidarity with Hamas.—
Daniel Byman,
The Atlantic,
24 May 2025
Verb
-
Officially, the Prime Video series (premiering May 29) is an adaptation of the 2019 novel by Alafair Burke, about a pair of estranged siblings, played by Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks, reuniting when one’s husband is murdered.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
26 May 2025
-
Trump contends that white South African farmers are being murdered in a racially motivated genocide, and that the South African government has permitted itself to seize their land.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slaughter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slaughter. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share