massacre

1 of 2

noun

mas·​sa·​cre ˈma-si-kər How to pronounce massacre (audio)
1
: the act or an instance of killing a number of usually helpless or unresisting human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty
witnessed the massacre of a boatload of refugees
2
: a cruel or wanton (see wanton entry 1 sense 1a) murder
3
: a wholesale slaughter of animals
Residents engaged in a citywide cat massacre.
4
: an act of complete destruction
the author's massacre of traditional federalist presuppositionsR. G. McCloskey
the Puritan massacre of statues and picturesRobert Hughes

massacre

2 of 2

verb

massacred; massacring ˈma-si-k(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce massacre (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to kill by massacre
2
: mangle sense 2
words were misspelled and syntax massacredBice Clemow
massacrer noun

Examples of massacre in a Sentence

Noun The game turned out to be a complete massacre. the infamous massacre of more than 200 Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota Verb Hundreds have been massacred in the uprising. The other team really massacred us on Saturday. He really massacred that song.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
According to a database by USA TODAY, the Associated Press and Northeastern University, Wednesday’s massacre is the 604th mass killing in the U.S. since 2006 in which four or more people are killed. Max Hauptman, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2024 For three months after the massacre, Deng disappeared from public view. Yangyang Cheng, NPR, 5 Sep. 2024
Verb
Indonesia was condemned by the international community for its crackdown, including in 1991 when its troops massacred young independence supporters at the Santa Cruz cemetery in East Timor’s capital Dili. Christopher Lamb, Helen Regan and Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 9 Sep. 2024 The ad campaign coincides with the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Games, where 12 Israeli coaches and athletes were massacred by Palestinian terrorists. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for massacre 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'massacre.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle French

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of massacre was circa 1578

Dictionary Entries Near massacre

Cite this Entry

“Massacre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/massacre. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

massacre

1 of 2 verb
mas·​sa·​cre ˈmas-i-kər How to pronounce massacre (audio)
massacred; massacring
-k(ə-)riŋ
: to kill in a massacre : slaughter
massacrer
-i-kər-ər
-i-krər
noun

massacre

2 of 2 noun
: the violent and cruel killing of a number of persons

More from Merriam-Webster on massacre

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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