Definition of butchery
butcheries
1 chiefly British : slaughterhouse
2 : the preparation of meat for sale
3 : cruel and ruthless slaughter of human beings
4 : botch
From the M-W Editors
Examples of butchery in a Sentence
the butchery of civilians during the war
butchery on a scale that horrified the civilized world
Recent Examples of butchery from the Web
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The level of butchery linked the killings to a series of unsolved homicides that began eight years earlier.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'butchery'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
14th Century
First Known Use of butchery
14th century
BUTCHERY Defined for English Language Learners
butchery
playDefinition of butchery for English Language Learners
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: the violent and cruel killing of many people
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: the work of a butcher : the job of preparing meat for sale
Learn More about butchery
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for butchery Britannica English: Translation of butchery for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about butchery
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