butcher

1 of 2

noun

butch·​er ˈbu̇-chər How to pronounce butcher (audio)
1
a
: a person who slaughters animals or dresses their flesh
b
: a dealer in meat
2
: one that kills ruthlessly or brutally
3
: one that bungles or botches
4
: a vendor especially on trains or in theaters

butcher

2 of 2

verb

butchered; butchering ˈbu̇-chə-riŋ How to pronounce butcher (audio)
ˈbu̇ch-

transitive verb

1
: to slaughter and dress for market
butcher hogs
2
: to kill in a barbarous manner
3
: botch
butchered the play

Examples of butcher in a Sentence

Noun the newest intern on the campaign is a butcher when it comes to writing press releases Verb They've hired someone to butcher the hogs. Many innocent people were butchered under his regime. The band has butchered my favorite song.
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.
Noun
Yes, ancient human butchers wielding stone tools would leave marks on bone. Briana Pobiner, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2025 The meat and sausages come from the nearby butcher, and the cheese is from the type of local dairy that brags about its cows’ diet of pasture grasses and hay. Ann Abel, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Verb
Since 2001, up to 100,000 Christians have been butchered, and 3.5 million farmers have been kicked off their land by Fulani Islamist terrorists. Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2025 After the kill, Shauna orders Natalie to butcher their former teammate, who is dragged, naked, through the snow back to camp. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for butcher

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bocher, from Anglo-French, from buc he-goat, probably of Celtic origin; akin to Middle Irish bocc he-goat — more at buck entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of butcher was in the 13th century

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Cite this Entry

“Butcher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butcher. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

butcher

1 of 2 noun
butch·​er ˈbu̇ch-ər How to pronounce butcher (audio)
1
a
: one whose business is killing animals for sale as food
b
: a dealer in meat
2
: a person who kills in large numbers or in a brutal manner

butcher

2 of 2 verb
butchered; butchering -(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce butcher (audio)
1
: to slaughter and prepare for market
butcher hogs
2
: to kill in a barbarous manner : massacre
3
: to make a mess of : botch
butchered the performance

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