ethnic cleansing

noun

: the expulsion, imprisonment, or killing of an ethnic minority by a dominant majority in order to achieve ethnic homogeneity

Examples of ethnic cleansing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Unfettered occupation and ethnic cleansing will provoke resistance and terror attacks. — Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 18 Aug. 2026

Bureaucracy is often the last straw to break during an ethnic cleansing. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026

Instead, attacks like the one in Hamburg, which sought to proactively protect the rights and power of white Americans – and which were often endorsed by state and local governments – have more in common with genocide and ethnic cleansing. — Jacob Ware, The Conversation, 31 July 2026

Sudan’s recent outbreak of civil war, following years of coups and credible accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide, persists under the radar. — Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above