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.
Written by journalist Wright Thompson, the magazine article revisited the murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after a white woman accused him of whistling suggestively at her. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024 There was a notorious Ku Klux Klan lynching in 1981, more than a decade after the Jim Crow era. Debbie Elliott, NPR, 26 Nov. 2024 The film — about a white graduate student researching an urban legend about a Black son of a slave who was lynched for falling in love with a white woman — offers complex questions for viewers to ponder. EW.com, 17 Oct. 2024 In the American Southwest, thousands of Mexican Americans were lynched from the end of the Mexican-American War through the early 20th century, in attacks aimed at instilling fear in a minority. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near lynch

Cite this Entry

“Lynch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lynch. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

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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