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 These include population transfer – a form of ethnic cleansing – as well as mass punishment of Palestinian communities. —

Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2024 The outside actor that bears the most responsibility for the starvation and ethnic cleansing, however, is the United Arab Emirates. —

John Prendergast, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2024 How are attempts at ethnic cleansing shaping this conflict? —

Washington Post Live, Washington Post, 30 July 2024 The homes of poor Kenyans went up in flames, and more than 1,200 were killed amid widespread ethnic cleansing and a massive police crackdown. —

Rael Ombuor, Washington Post, 11 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for ethnic cleansing

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ethnic cleansing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of ethnic cleansing was in 1991

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ethnic cleansing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnic%20cleansing. Accessed 30 Sep. 2024.

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