butcher

1 of 2

noun

butch·​er ˈbu̇-chər 

1

a

: a person who slaughters animals or dresses their flesh

b

: a dealer in meat

2

: one that kills ruthlessly or brutally

3

: one that bungles or botches

4

: a vendor especially on trains or in theaters

butcher

2 of 2

verb

butchered; butchering ˈbu̇-chə-riŋ 

ˈbu̇ch-

transitive verb

1

: to slaughter and dress for market

butcher hogs

2

: to kill in a barbarous manner

3

: botch

butchered the play

Synonyms of butcher

Noun

• blunderer
• incompetent

Verb

• slaughter

Examples of butcher in a Sentence

Noun

the newest intern on the campaign is a butcher when it comes to writing press releases

Verb

They've hired someone to butcher the hogs.

Many innocent people were butchered under his regime.

The band has butchered my favorite song.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

It was constructed in 1897 as part of the area’s military campus, and over time was used as an army depot, a butcher shop, an animal-feed store and a mailroom. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026

Police said a man wielding a butcher's knife advanced toward officers, prompting them to open fire, killing him. — Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026

Verb

Indirect signs also suggest the proto-Neolithic community also dined on the European glass lizard (Pseudopus apodus), which featured tough scales that necessitated a completely different type of butchering. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026

But isn’t the manager culpable when his dugout repeatedly butchers fundamental baserunning and defensive basics? — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bocher, from Anglo-French, from buc he-goat, probably of Celtic origin; akin to Middle Irish bocc he-goat — more at buck entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing butcher

• butcher-bird
• butcher block
• butcher paper
• have/take a butcher's

Kids Definition

butcher

1 of 2 noun

butch·​er ˈbu̇ch-ər 

1

a

: one whose business is killing animals for sale as food

b

: a dealer in meat

2

: a person who kills in large numbers or in a brutal manner

butcher

2 of 2 verb

butchered; butchering -(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to slaughter and prepare for market

butcher hogs

2

: to kill in a barbarous manner : massacre

3

: to make a mess of : botch

butchered the performance