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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
The Burkes sell trees via their website, and sell fresh fruit at the farmers market and via a local specialty butcher, A & R Custom Butchering, Retail Meats and Deli in Red Bluff. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Most worked to serve the city's elites as guards, cleaners, tailors and butchers. — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 1 Sep. 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
  • Which is not to say there aren’t currently Black women slaughtering the pop scene right now.
    — Kyle Denis, Billboard, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Fifteen people were slaughtered, including relatives of Maram, and some of her neighbors.
    — Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of slaughter
Verb
  • But when Kansas fumbled the snap on a punt, resulting in a safety, Kansas State was able to take an 18-17 lead to the locker room.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Stockton, who also threw two interceptions, fumbled on a run from the Auburn 46.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of fumble
Verb
  • On Saturday morning, temperatures in the fire area were in the mid-80s and winds blew at about 15 mph.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • There have been two times, and maybe three, since 2020 when Baylor should have won the game, but blew it.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of blow
Verb
  • Now, a new killer has murdered an altar boy and used his blood to write her name.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Monaghan previously represented serial killer Joseph Duncan, who murdered four members of a North Idaho family in 2005.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of murder
Verb
  • In August, Meta debuted a small open-weight AI model dubbed Muse Glimmer, with Zuckerberg pledging to eventually release something bigger and more powerful.
    — Kif Leswing,Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The premise of the movie, which opens nationwide on Friday, has been dubbed wild, insane and even dumb.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of dub
Verb
  • The bit caught a pipe strap and wrenched him off a ladder, tearing off his thumb and mangling his hand.
    — Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Photos showed his paws mangled and covered with open red sores.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of mangle
Verb
  • Artificial, though, ends with a scene that convincingly conveys the extent to which AI will ruin all our lives.
    — Julia Black, Vanity Fair, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Civic, before it was smashed and ruined, had been a private world, an extension of myself.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruin

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Cite this Entry

“Butcher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butcher. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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