ethnic cleansing

noun

: the expulsion, imprisonment, or killing of an ethnic minority by a dominant majority in order to achieve ethnic homogeneity

Examples of ethnic cleansing 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.
President Joe Biden refused to use his leverage to press for an end to the war during his term, and President Donald Trump has already shipped another 1,800 of the 2,000-pound bombs to Israel and blithely proposed clearing Gaza of Palestinians in what would amount to ethnic cleansing. Nicholas D. Kristof, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025 The proposal drew global condemnation, and experts said such a measure would amount to ethnic cleansing and likely violate international law. Erica L. Green, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2025 Trump’s suggestion caused shock waves across the world, with some analysts and politicians comparing the proposal of displacing 2.2 million Palestinians to ethnic cleansing. Ben Goggin, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2025 The process of forming the people, creating the conditions for national homogeneity, was and still is accompanied by ethnic cleansing—or sometimes genocide. Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ethnic cleansing

Word History

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ethnic cleansing was in 1991

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Cite this Entry

“Ethnic cleansing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnic%20cleansing. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

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