lynch

verb

lynched; lynching; lynches

transitive verb

: to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal approval or permission
The accused killer was lynched by an angry mob.
lyncher noun

Examples of lynch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In 2012, four students from the University of Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State and one of Nigeria’s oil producing areas, were lynched after they were wrongly suspected of being armed robbers. Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025 My use of 'lynched' was a mistranslation from Hebrew (English isn't my first language). Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025 Today, news reports from the country of my birth cover everything from its scientists landing a spacecraft on the moon and victories in cricket to cow vigilantes lynching Muslim men on suspicion of eating beef and horrific accounts of violence to women. Amitava Kumar, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025 Not only would she surely have been lynched, but her colleagues at the newspaper would have been killed. Amy Gais / Made By History, TIME, 27 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lynch

Word History

Etymology

after lynch law

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lynch was in 1835

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lynch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lynch. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

lynch

verb
: to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal authority
lyncher noun

Legal Definition

lynch

transitive verb
: to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal sanction
lyncher noun

More from Merriam-Webster on lynch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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