mas·sa·cre
ˈma-si-kər 
1
: the act or an instance of killing a number of usually helpless or unresisting human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty
witnessed the massacre of a boatload of refugees
2
: a cruel or wanton (see wanton entry 1 sense 1a) murder
3
: a wholesale slaughter of animals
Residents engaged in a citywide cat massacre.
4
: an act of complete destruction
the author's massacre of traditional federalist presuppositions—
R. G. McCloskey
R. G. McCloskeythe Puritan massacre of statues and pictures—Robert Hughes
Robert Hughes
massacred; massacring
ˈma-si-k(ə-)riŋ
1
: to kill by massacre
2
: mangle sense 2
words were misspelled and syntax massacred—Bice Clemow
Bice ClemowSynonyms
Examples of massacre in a Sentence
Noun
The game turned out to be a complete massacre.
the infamous massacre of more than 200 Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota
Verb
Hundreds have been massacred in the uprising.
The other team really massacred us on Saturday.
He really massacred that song.
Recent Examples on the Web
Anna Nemtsova, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2024
Ever since the October 7 massacres in Israel, antisemitism has exploded on college campuses.
—The Editors, National Review, 24 Dec. 2024
Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
Iran funds Hamas, the terrorist group that invaded and brutally massacred innocent Israelis, mostly youth, in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
—Diane Gensler, Baltimore Sun, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for massacre 
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
The massacre, which took place in March, killed at least 145 people and wounded more than 500.
—Anna Nemtsova, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2024
Ever since the October 7 massacres in Israel, antisemitism has exploded on college campuses.
—The Editors, National Review, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
Having them in a memorial site honoring the people massacred is the right decision to make.
—Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
Iran funds Hamas, the terrorist group that invaded and brutally massacred innocent Israelis, mostly youth, in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
—Diane Gensler, Baltimore Sun, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for massacre
Articles Related to massacre
Dictionary Entries Near massacre
Cite this Entry
“Massacre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/massacre. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
massacre
1 of 2 verb
mas·sa·cre
ˈmas-i-kər
massacred; massacring
-k(ə-)riŋ
: to kill in a massacre : slaughter
massacrer
noun
-i-kər-ər
-i-krər
massacre
2 of 2 noun
: the violent and cruel killing of a number of persons
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share