1
: the act of killing
specifically
: the butchering of livestock for market
2
: killing of great numbers of human beings (as in battle or a massacre) : carnage
slaughtered; slaughtering; slaughters
1
: to kill (animals) for food : butcher
3
: to discredit, defeat, or demolish completely
Synonyms
Examples of slaughter in a Sentence
Noun
the slaughter of innocent people
all civilized nations should protest this senseless slaughter
Verb
Our team got slaughtered yesterday.
modern poultry farms slaughter a vast number of chickens every day
Recent Examples on the Web
Diksha Madhok, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
Perhaps the most transformational work has been done by Temple Grandin, the animal behaviorist whose research into how food animals experience and respond to their environment — particularly during transport and slaughter — has changed the way that meat and dairy producers operate.
—Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy Gabra Zackman Emma Kehlbeck Lance Neal, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
And this slaughter is continuing, Intersociety’s Emeka Umeagbalasi told Fox News Digital.
—Paul Tilsley, Fox News, 14 Apr. 2024
Sweeping down through the country in pursuit of the killers, the RPA encountered a slaughter bench whose victims included many of the soldiers’ friends and families.
—Jonathan M. Hansen, TIME, 7 Apr. 2024
Israel’s systematic oppression and slaughter of the Palestinians is a present-day abomination.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
After a hideous slaughter in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin is still intent on pointing the finger at Kyiv.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Occurring at a company facility in Palmer County, positive tests for pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) resulted in the slaughter of nearly two million chickens, including 1.6 million hens and 337,000 pullets, or young hens.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Cook wasn’t in New Zealand when the slaughter took place; the Adventure and the Resolution had been separated in a fog.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
Pigs are slaughtered when very young, and newer generations, with no prior exposure to flu, are particularly vulnerable to infections.
—Emily Anthes, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
In countries as far-flung as Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Botswana, animals that are the mainstays of many small farms—where donkeys are used for plowing, hauling crops to market, and many other purposes—are instead being slaughtered for the cash value of their skins.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2024
In response to the panic, 4.5 million cattle were slaughtered and discarded.
—Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 18 Apr. 2024
That person was involved in slaughtering poultry presumed to be infected, and later reported feeling fatigued.
—Li Cohen, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024
By the end of the Holocaust, 90% of Jews from Poland had been slaughtered.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
The animals could have been slaughtered in a ritual sacrifice, or the temples could have been a place for food processing.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
At least 58 million birds were slaughtered last year to limit the spread of the virus.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Restrictions on cow slaughter have become politically contentious in India in recent years, as many among the country’s majority Hindu population consider the animal to be sacred.
—Diksha Madhok, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
Perhaps the most transformational work has been done by Temple Grandin, the animal behaviorist whose research into how food animals experience and respond to their environment — particularly during transport and slaughter — has changed the way that meat and dairy producers operate.
—Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy Gabra Zackman Emma Kehlbeck Lance Neal, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
And this slaughter is continuing, Intersociety’s Emeka Umeagbalasi told Fox News Digital.
—Paul Tilsley, Fox News, 14 Apr. 2024
Sweeping down through the country in pursuit of the killers, the RPA encountered a slaughter bench whose victims included many of the soldiers’ friends and families.
—Jonathan M. Hansen, TIME, 7 Apr. 2024
Israel’s systematic oppression and slaughter of the Palestinians is a present-day abomination.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
After a hideous slaughter in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin is still intent on pointing the finger at Kyiv.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Occurring at a company facility in Palmer County, positive tests for pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) resulted in the slaughter of nearly two million chickens, including 1.6 million hens and 337,000 pullets, or young hens.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Cook wasn’t in New Zealand when the slaughter took place; the Adventure and the Resolution had been separated in a fog.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Verb
When Cedar the goat’s family tried to do the same — even after the buyer agreed to forego the sale — deputies tracked Cedar down and he was slaughtered.
—Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
Pigs are slaughtered when very young, and newer generations, with no prior exposure to flu, are particularly vulnerable to infections.
—Emily Anthes, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
In countries as far-flung as Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Botswana, animals that are the mainstays of many small farms—where donkeys are used for plowing, hauling crops to market, and many other purposes—are instead being slaughtered for the cash value of their skins.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2024
In response to the panic, 4.5 million cattle were slaughtered and discarded.
—Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 18 Apr. 2024
That person was involved in slaughtering poultry presumed to be infected, and later reported feeling fatigued.
—Li Cohen, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024
By the end of the Holocaust, 90% of Jews from Poland had been slaughtered.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
The animals could have been slaughtered in a ritual sacrifice, or the temples could have been a place for food processing.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
At least 58 million birds were slaughtered last year to limit the spread of the virus.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slaughter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near slaughter
Cite this Entry
“Slaughter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slaughter. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slaughter
1 of 2 noun
slaugh·ter
ˈslȯt-ər 
1
: the act of killing
especially
: the butchering of livestock for market
2
: destruction of human lives in large numbers (as in war or a massacre)
slaughter
2 of 2 verbLove words? Need even more definitions?
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