lynch

verb

lynched; lynching; lynches

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 noun

Examples of lynch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
He was eventually lynched by a bloodthirsty mob after his death sentence had been commuted by a governor who sensed a miscarriage of justice. Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 22 May 2025 And, as Henry E. Barber recounted in a 1973 paper, in the 1930s, a group of white women joined them in defending lynching victims. Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 16 Apr. 2025 In Karnataka, another Muslim man was lynched for chanting pro-Pakistan slogans, according to local news reports. Mujib Mashal, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025 In The New Negro Escapist Social and Athletic Club (Emmett), from 2008, Johnson references an Associated Press photograph of Emmett Till, who was famously lynched in 1955. Yinka Elujoba, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lynch

Word History

Etymology

after lynch law

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lynch was in 1835

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lynch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lynch. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

lynch

verb
: to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal authority
lyncher noun

Legal Definition

lynch

transitive verb
: to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal sanction
lyncher noun

More from Merriam-Webster on lynch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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