slaughter

1 of 2

noun

slaugh·​ter ˈslȯ-tər 

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

slaughter

2 of 2

verb

slaughtered; slaughtering; slaughters

transitive verb

1

: to kill (animals) for food : butcher

2

a

: to kill in a bloody or violent manner : slay

b

: to kill in large numbers : massacre

3

: to discredit, defeat, or demolish completely

slaughterer

ˈslȯ-tər-ər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• massacre

Verb

• massacre
• murder

Examples of slaughter in a Sentence

Noun

the slaughter of innocent people

all civilized nations should protest this senseless slaughter

Verb

Our team got slaughtered yesterday.

modern poultry farms slaughter a vast number of chickens every day

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Some will welcome it; there is certainly an argument that the attempts to imitate Guardiola’s style, playing from the back against high-class opponents with a plan to press them into mistakes, led to some coaches leading their teams like lambs to the slaughter. —Oliver Kay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025

In 1975, grizzlies were listed under the Endangered Species Act, which ended their indiscriminate slaughter, and bear numbers slowly rebounded. —Molly Absolon, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025

Verb

Butchering an animal for meat — slaughtering cows, pigs, lambs — was an act of necessity, not pleasure. —Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 16 Oct. 2025

Giving up 1,700 terrorist hostages from Israel, basically create a potential pathway to statehood, because of an invasion two years ago that slaughtered Israelis, there's a lot here that still has to play out. —NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing slaughter

• like a lamb to the slaughter
• pre-slaughter
• self-slaughter

Rhymes for slaughter

• blotter
• cotter
• daughter
• hotter
• mater
• otter
• plotter
• rotter
• spotter
• squatter
• totter
• trotter

Kids Definition

slaughter

1 of 2 noun

slaugh·​ter ˈslȯt-ər 

1

: the act of killing

especially : the butchering of livestock for market

2

: destruction of human lives in large numbers (as in war or a massacre)

slaughter

2 of 2 verb

1

: to kill an animal for food : butcher

2

: to kill without mercy or in large numbers : massacre

slaughterer

ˈslȯt-ər-ər 

noun