Definition of lynch
transitive verb
: to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal approval or permission The accused killer was lynched by an angry mob.
lyncher
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Examples of lynch in a Sentence
The accused killer was lynched by an angry mob.
Recent Examples of lynch from the Web
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The death in April of Mashal Khan, a Pakistani college student brutally lynched by his fellow students after being spuriously tagged as a blasphemer, made global headlines.
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Men were lynched; women were thrown off bridges; children were thrown into fires.
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Blacks were also lynched in other areas of the city.
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And an honorary mention to the lesbian group whose Dyke March in Chicago banned a rainbow flag with the Star of David on it — while hailing Muslim countries where gay people are lucky not to be lynched every day.
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My grandmother was born in the Mississippi Delta, picked cotton, and had a male cousin who was lynched.
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The marker commemorates Till, a black teenager who was kidnapped and lynched in 1955.
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Till was kidnapped and lynched in Money, Mississippi, in 1955 after the incident at the Bryant Grocery store.
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The marker remembers black teenager Emmett Till, who was kidnapped before being lynched in 1955.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lynch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of lynch
lynch law
LYNCH Defined for English Language Learners
lynch
playDefinition of lynch for English Language Learners
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: to kill (someone) illegally as punishment for a crime
Law Dictionary
lynch
playLegal Definition of lynch
: to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal sanction
lyncher
nounLearn More about lynch
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See words that rhyme with lynch Spanish Central: Translation of lynch Nglish: Translation of lynch for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lynch for Arabic speakers
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