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

They were all robbed, of very little money, and in three instances, their homes were set ablaze to hide evidence of the slaughter that had taken place inside, authorities said. —Kc Baker, People.com, 20 June 2025

Sequences of compliant sheep, moving to their mechanized slaughter, sometimes cut to scenes of streetwise children, repurposing rubble for games. —Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025

Verb

While the majority of the rebel players are slaughtered on sight, Gi-hun is spared and placed back in the central common room. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 27 June 2025

An Orthodox priest in Bucha named Andriy welcomed us to his church, which was bombed by Russia and sits on a mass burial site filled with the bodies of innocent civilians slaughtered by the Russians who occupied the city for a month in 2022. —Laura Thornton, Twin Cities, 27 June 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