butcher 1 of 2

noun

ˈbu̇-chər How to pronounce butcher (audio)
Definition of butchernext
as in blunderer
someone who bungles an effort the newest intern on the campaign is a butcher when it comes to writing press releases

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

butcher

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to slaughter
to kill on a large scale the barbarians butchered the monks in the monasteries without mercy

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2
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way the new piano student butchered the sonatina

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of butcher
Noun
Most worked to serve the city's elites as guards, cleaners, tailors and butchers. — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026 Durant's Steakhouse At Durant’s Steakhouse in Phoenix, the Chef’s Cut Hanging Bacon at Durant’s begins with premium, generously thick cut Colorado Farms bacon, hand cut each day by master butchers. — Aly Walansky, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
But isn’t the manager culpable when his dugout repeatedly butchers fundamental baserunning and defensive basics? — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026 Elephants are widely adored by many people today — but a recent study suggests early humans were butchering them for survival nearly 2 million years ago. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for butcher
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butcher
  1. incompetent
  2. slaughter
  3. fumble
  4. blow
  5. murder
  6. dub
  7. mangle
  8. ruin
Noun
  • The Dodgers reached the pinnacle honestly, in a capitalistic structure that properly hands no favors to the incompetent.
    — Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026
Definition of incompetent
Verb
  • Already, in South Africa, an ostrich flock that survives bird flu would only be quarantined and rigorously tested for reinfection, not slaughtered.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Every year, live chickens are confined and slaughtered at makeshift sites on Brooklyn streets and sidewalks.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of slaughter
Verb
  • Specifically, Nico Iamaleava struggled, fumbling once and throwing interceptions to Oregon’s Koi Perich and Jerry Mixon.
    — Elias Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Irving scored his second touchdown of the game to further the Bucs’ lead, and Prescott wouldn’t even get the ball back after KaVontae Turpin fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which Tampa Bay recovered.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of fumble
Verb
  • This inspires Other Mommy to gruesomely kill Frank in front of Bela, including blowing his head up in an outrageous explosion of blood.
    — William Earl, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In Chicago, the city is on track to blow past the $252 million spent last year to resolve police lawsuits, mostly involving plaintiffs who went to prison based on faulty evidence, according to local news reports.
    — Sean Greene, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of blow
Verb
  • Hannie was captured, tortured, and murdered by the Nazis in the final months of the war, but never snitched on her sisters.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
  • In May, Tony Carruthers, who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering three people in 1994, was not executed because officials could not find a suitable vein for an IV line, so the drugs were not administered.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of murder
Verb
  • The report focused on two buildings of the facility dubbed East and West.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Defendants Matthew Ingalls, Jonathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar — dubbed the Cornell 7 online — have all denied wrongdoing.
    — Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of dub
Verb
  • Photos showed his paws mangled and covered with open red sores.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Machines meant to begin giving the shells perfectly smooth noses would, instead, mangle them into swirls that looked like soft-serve ice cream.
    — ProPublica, ProPublica, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of mangle
Verb
  • On Monday, workers hauled out a 200-pound piece of equipment that was ruined by the saltwater and sand carried in on the high tides.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
  • So our goal is to learn how to maximize AI budgets, not ration them and ruin productivity gains.
    — Konstantin Klyagin, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruin

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butch
butcher
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Cite this Entry

“Butcher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butcher. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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