slasher

noun

slash·​er ˈsla-shər How to pronounce slasher (audio)
often attributive
: one that slashes
especially : a person who mutilates or kills with an edged blade
a slasher film

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey — an insane, low-budget slasher in which a giant bear bludgeons his victims to death with a sledgehammer and runs over them in his car — may not be remotely as serious as a documentary about political protests. Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2023 The movie allowed Craven, a master of the slasher form, and the screenwriter Kevin Williamson to mock the tired structure of the genre while still delivering a successful version of it. David Sims, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2023 One scene plays with the cramped aisles of a bodega, as Ghostface makes like the killer of scuzzy New York slasher Maniac and brings a shotgun to the party. A.a. Dowd, Chron, 8 Mar. 2023 In the weeks leading up to its release on March 10, the franchise’s notorious slasher Ghostface has been spotted in various U.S. cities, including Sonoma (the stand-in for the franchise’s fictional town of Woodsboro), New Orleans and St. Louis. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 2 Mar. 2023 As such, any violation of trademark law in the Pooh slasher iteration could expect to be met with an immediate cease and desist. Vulture, 17 Feb. 2023 The Kings also acquired a former Brooklynite, bringing 22-year-old slasher Kessler Edwards to Sacramento. Ian Firstenberg, Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2023 Separately, Netflix also went on a slasher spree, cutting 150 jobs in May 2022 and another 300 the following month. Quartz, 9 Feb. 2023 The comedy-horror film subverts the Black guy dies first slasher cliche by creating a satirical narrative where an all-Black friend group is trapped in a cabin in the woods with an anti-Black killer on the loose. Malik Peay, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2023 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1559, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slasher was in 1559

Dictionary Entries Near slasher

Cite this Entry

“Slasher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slasher. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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