as in massacre
the killing of a large number of people
all civilized nations should protest this senseless slaughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to massacre
to kill on a large scale
modern poultry farms slaughter a vast number of chickens every day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slaughter
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2026
Was Odysseus’ slaughter of the suitors justified, or were his actions criminal?
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
Security forces slaughtered them.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for slaughter
Noun
Now after four years of ongoing horrors in Ukraine, and more than two years of watching slaughter and suffering in Gaza, the latest war filling our feeds is just another numbing form of content, a digital arena in which competing forces try to assert conflicting viewpoints.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2026
Was Odysseus’ slaughter of the suitors justified, or were his actions criminal?
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
Animal rights groups say the deer should not be slaughtered en masse and that the plan takes away from the pleasure of residents and tourists from seeing the animals roam the island and taking their pictures.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
Security forces slaughtered them.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for slaughter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaughter
Noun
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Ghaemi said that this language was reminiscent of the propaganda that helped fuel and justify other historic atrocities, such as the massacres in Myanmar or Rwanda.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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And Glocks have been the killing machine of choice in some of America’s most horrifying massacres, including Virginia Tech in 2007, which left 33 dead, including the gunman, and the shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill in California in November 2018, where a gunman killed 13 people, then himself.—
Simon Akam,
Vanity Fair,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Renee Good, mother of three, brutally murdered, Alex Pretti, VA nurse, executed by ICE, shot in the back and left to die in the street without even the decency of our lawless government investigating their deaths.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
28 Mar. 2026
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The Houthis joined Hamas in its war against Israel in mid-October 2023, after the terrorist movement in Gaza invaded Israel and murdered over 1,200 people, including more than 40 Americans.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slaughter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slaughter. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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