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
butchered; butchering
ˈbu̇-chə-riŋ 
ˈbu̇ch-
1
: to slaughter and dress for market
butcher hogs
2
: to kill in a barbarous manner
3
: botch
butchered the play
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
Merve Ceylan, Health, 6 Oct. 2025
Miami also ranks high for food lovers who like to cook at home, with the third-most farmer’s markets, the ninth-most gourmet specialty food stores and the third-most butcher shops.
—Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2025
Reese tried that one, too, but butchered it when his lean came well into the end zone.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butcher
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Noun
Ask the butcher for lean cuts and choose meats with less marbling.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 6 Oct. 2025
Miami also ranks high for food lovers who like to cook at home, with the third-most farmer’s markets, the ninth-most gourmet specialty food stores and the third-most butcher shops.
—Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
In fact, this French Quarter institution helped invent modern brunch (thank you, butcher’s breakfast) and introduced cocktail classics like the Grasshopper and Whiskey Punch to the American bar lexicon.
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2025
Reese tried that one, too, but butchered it when his lean came well into the end zone.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butcher
Cite this Entry
“Butcher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butcher. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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