slaughter

noun slaugh·ter \ ˈslȯ-tər \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of slaughter

1 : the act of killing; specifically : the butchering of livestock for market

2 : killing of great numbers of human beings (as in battle or a massacre) : carnage

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Examples of slaughter in a Sentence

the slaughter of innocent people
all civilized nations should protest this senseless slaughter

Recent Examples of slaughter from the Web

In this world, the tiniest noise — a footstep, a laugh, an obnoxious slurp from a large Diet Coke — can send the creatures rushing in for the slaughter.

— scott berson, charlotteobserver, "People are being snack-shamed for chewing too loudly during ‘A Quiet Place’ | Charlotte Observer," 10 Apr. 2018
Lately, too, statues of men who led the slaughter and displacement of Native Americans are set to topple.

— cate mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "Bringing realism to the heroic in ‘The Sculpture of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’," 6 Apr. 2018
Younger, more militant black spokesmen who had spurned King’s commitment to nonviolence and peaceful negotiation proceeded to stoke outrage over the slaughter of someone so un-menacing and well-intentioned.

— james c. cobb, Smithsonian, "Even Though He Is Revered Today, MLK Was Widely Disliked by the American Public When He Was Killed," 5 Apr. 2018
Hope for justice, resolution, understanding; hope for creating family within the Canadian collective; and hope for an end to the slaughter of Indigenous women and girls in the nation.

— nahanni fontaine, Teen Vogue, "Tina Fontaine Is Further Proof That Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Need Justice," 12 Mar. 2018
Their numbers were decimated by hunters who killed them or sold them for slaughter.

— bob kustra and the reader’s corner team, idahostatesman, "Reader’s Corner: A timely look at America’s mustangs and their place in the Western landscape | Idaho Statesman," 23 Mar. 2018
Today’s attack in Maryland arrives slightly over a month after the horrific slaughter at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which cost the lives of 14 students and 3 staff members.

— morgan enos, Billboard, "Parkland Survivor Emma Gonzalez Sends Love to Maryland School After Shooting: 'We Are Here For You'," 20 Mar. 2018
But new research finds that antibiotics aren’t alone in their bacterial slaughter: Nearly 1 in 4 other prescription medications, from antipsychotics to antivirals, kill off gut microbes.

— kate sheridan, STAT, "Many common drugs, not just antibiotics, may kill off gut microbes," 19 Mar. 2018
Anyone with a heart wants to do something to protect kids from this senseless slaughter.

— Anchorage Daily News, "I sat down with my old political foe to talk about guns. Here’s what we agreed on.," 23 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'slaughter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of slaughter

Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse slātra to slaughter; akin to Old English sleaht slaughter, slēan to slay — more at slay

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year