massacre

verb

massacred; massacring ˈma-si-k(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to kill by massacre

2

: mangle sense 2

… words were misspelled and syntax massacred.

—Bice Clemow

massacrer

ˈma-si-kər-ər 

-krər

noun

Synonyms of massacre

• slaughter

Examples of massacre in a Sentence

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

The San Diego duo responsible for a deadly mosque attack earlier this month were tweens in 2019 when a white supremacist livestreamed himself massacring 51 worshippers in Christchurch, New Zealand. —Pilar Melendez, NBC news, 31 May 2026

Retroactively, they were interpreted as premonitions of the 1994 violence that saw many thousands of locals, primarily Tutsis, massacred at the hands of Hutu Génocidaires. —Jessica Kiang, Variety, 26 May 2026

There’s a big fight with Dogknott and Sheline who, in-between sniffing one another’s butts, start massacring the test audience. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026

The ethnic Hutu business tycoon was indicted on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity for allegedly arming Hutu militias that massacred more than 800,000 mostly ethnic Tutsis in 1994. —Sudarsan Raghavan, Washington Post, 16 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

massacre

1 of 2 verb

mas·​sa·​cre ˈmas-i-kər 

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