abattoir

noun

ab·​at·​toir ˈa-bə-ˌtwär 

-ˌtwȯr, 

-ˌtȯr

plural abattoirs

: a place where animals are butchered : slaughterhouse

Mr. Foley worked previously at a pig abattoir and reckoned he was beyond such queasiness.

—Tony Horwitz

Bulls are precious, a good one fetching $400 or more at the abattoir …

—Peter Meredith

Examples of abattoir in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On cross-examination, defense attorney Blair Berk prodded Wallace to admit that her chemical analysis — done months after prosecutors believe Burke turned his garage into an abattoir — did not definitively prove the presence of blood. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026

Her mother used to say that if abattoirs had glass walls, nobody would eat meat. — Ayesha Javed, Time, 19 Mar. 2026

An older version of Leroy (played by Steven Williams) is seen in Muschietti's It films showing Mike (Chosen Jacobs) the ropes at his abattoir. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025

Making the most of their pig tissue from the local abattoir, Ahmed’s team also showed how the material could grip. — Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from stem of abattre "to strike down, slaughter" + -oir -ory entry 1 — more at abate

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for abattoir

• alcazar
• autocar
• avatar
• belshazzar
• caviar
• caviare
• cinnabar
• commissar
• condylar
• deodar
• handlebar
• isobar

Kids Definition

abattoir

noun

ab·​at·​toir ˈab-ə-ˌtwär 

: slaughterhouse