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
slaughtered; slaughtering; slaughters
1
: to kill (animals) for food : butcher
3
: to discredit, defeat, or demolish completely
Synonyms
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
Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Cook wasn’t in New Zealand when the slaughter took place; the Adventure and the Resolution had been separated in a fog.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
House Harkonnen, in league with the Emperor (played by a miscast Christopher Walken), led the slaughter of Paul’s entire bloodline in an effort to monopolize the valuable spice mined on Arrakis.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
The con is called pig butchering — so named because victims are likened to hogs, fattened up for slaughter.
—Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 5 Feb. 2024
Cal-Maine Foods on Tuesday announced chickens at its facility in Parmer County, in the state's southwestern panhandle, tested positive for pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) resulting in slaughter of nearly 2 million chickens − 1.6 million hens and 337,000 pullets (young hens).
—USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
But video from the scene of the slaughter shows the gunmen facing no significant resistance.
—Shane Harris, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
And a leader of one of Ukraine's Christian churches on Sunday said that only the country's determined resistance to Moscow's full-scale invasion, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 24, 2022, had prevented a mass slaughter of civilians.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 11 Mar. 2024
Pig butchering — a scam named after the practice of farmers fattening hogs before slaughter — often starts with what appears to be a wrong-number text message.
—Zeke Faux, Fortune, 29 Feb. 2024
Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
At least 58 million birds were slaughtered last year to limit the spread of the virus.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Suspected of killing over 100 men in the U.S., Panzram was executed by hanging in 1930 after slaughtering a prison employee.
—Jeff Truesdell, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024
Millions of chickens, turkeys and other birds were slaughtered this year because of the outbreak.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 20 Mar. 2024
This employee’s duties do not involve slaughtering or processing pigs, the complaint says.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024
After Paul’s father is forced by the emperor into taking over spice production on Arrakis and then slaughtered, along with the rest of House Atreides, Paul and Lady Jessica flee into the desert.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024
The predatory nature of these killer whales has ocean enthusiasts like Roop torn – sad to see the dolphins slaughtered but glad the orcas are hanging around for up-close, intimate encounters.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Texas plant is the latest in spike of US bird flu cases
Nearly two million chickens were slaughtered after Cal-Maine Foods announced positive tests at its Texas plant for bird flu.
—USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Noun
Occurring at a company facility in Palmer County, positive tests for pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) resulted in the slaughter of nearly two million chickens, including 1.6 million hens and 337,000 pullets, or young hens.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Cook wasn’t in New Zealand when the slaughter took place; the Adventure and the Resolution had been separated in a fog.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
House Harkonnen, in league with the Emperor (played by a miscast Christopher Walken), led the slaughter of Paul’s entire bloodline in an effort to monopolize the valuable spice mined on Arrakis.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
The con is called pig butchering — so named because victims are likened to hogs, fattened up for slaughter.
—Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 5 Feb. 2024
Cal-Maine Foods on Tuesday announced chickens at its facility in Parmer County, in the state's southwestern panhandle, tested positive for pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) resulting in slaughter of nearly 2 million chickens − 1.6 million hens and 337,000 pullets (young hens).
—USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
But video from the scene of the slaughter shows the gunmen facing no significant resistance.
—Shane Harris, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
And a leader of one of Ukraine's Christian churches on Sunday said that only the country's determined resistance to Moscow's full-scale invasion, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 24, 2022, had prevented a mass slaughter of civilians.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 11 Mar. 2024
Pig butchering — a scam named after the practice of farmers fattening hogs before slaughter — often starts with what appears to be a wrong-number text message.
—Zeke Faux, Fortune, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
The animals could have been slaughtered in a ritual sacrifice, or the temples could have been a place for food processing.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
At least 58 million birds were slaughtered last year to limit the spread of the virus.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Suspected of killing over 100 men in the U.S., Panzram was executed by hanging in 1930 after slaughtering a prison employee.
—Jeff Truesdell, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024
Millions of chickens, turkeys and other birds were slaughtered this year because of the outbreak.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 20 Mar. 2024
This employee’s duties do not involve slaughtering or processing pigs, the complaint says.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024
After Paul’s father is forced by the emperor into taking over spice production on Arrakis and then slaughtered, along with the rest of House Atreides, Paul and Lady Jessica flee into the desert.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024
The predatory nature of these killer whales has ocean enthusiasts like Roop torn – sad to see the dolphins slaughtered but glad the orcas are hanging around for up-close, intimate encounters.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Texas plant is the latest in spike of US bird flu cases
Nearly two million chickens were slaughtered after Cal-Maine Foods announced positive tests at its Texas plant for bird flu.
—USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slaughter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near slaughter
Cite this Entry
“Slaughter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slaughter. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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 verbLove words? Need even more definitions?
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