1
as in slaughtered
to kill on a large scale
the barbarians butchered the monks in the monasteries without mercy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
the new piano student butchered the sonatina
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of butchered
The plague victims likely hunted, skinned and butchered marmots for their meat and fur, which would have exposed members of the community to the bacteria, Macleod said.
—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
The deer must be completely butchered and de-boned before it can be brought into the state.
—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
When a crew lands a whale, it's usually butchered on a nearby beach.
—
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Using methods including high-resolution 3D scanning, researchers found that many of the 92 fragments bear cut marks on their inner surfaces, indicating that the turtles were carefully butchered by Neanderthals — with limbs detached, internal organs removed and shells thoroughly cleaned.
—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
According to the Times coverage of the incident and subsequent lawsuit, the scenes shown in the classroom included autopsies, decaying cadavers and live animals being butchered, mutilated and tortured.
—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Nova — who was working a second job as a delivery driver to provide for his family — had a little more than $100 on him when he was robbed and butchered.
—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
And so the buffalo were butchered and sold for their tongues and hides, and their bones were ground and used for fine china.
—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2026
Tell the people that you were basically butchered by your trauma.
—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2026
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
The deer must be completely butchered and de-boned before it can be brought into the state.
—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
When a crew lands a whale, it's usually butchered on a nearby beach.
—
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Using methods including high-resolution 3D scanning, researchers found that many of the 92 fragments bear cut marks on their inner surfaces, indicating that the turtles were carefully butchered by Neanderthals — with limbs detached, internal organs removed and shells thoroughly cleaned.
—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
According to the Times coverage of the incident and subsequent lawsuit, the scenes shown in the classroom included autopsies, decaying cadavers and live animals being butchered, mutilated and tortured.
—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Nova — who was working a second job as a delivery driver to provide for his family — had a little more than $100 on him when he was robbed and butchered.
—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
And so the buffalo were butchered and sold for their tongues and hides, and their bones were ground and used for fine china.
—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2026
Tell the people that you were basically butchered by your trauma.
—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butchered
Verb
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The Islamic Republic has slaughtered demonstrators at random before.
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Navajo people had their sheep–their food supply and source of income–slaughtered by the federal government.
Verb
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Before that, Tampa Bay fumbled scoring opportunities in five of the first seven innings and stranded five overall.
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After South Korea’s goalkeeper fumbled a ball, Luis Romo scored the goal that gave the Mexicans six points and pushed them to the top of the standings.
Verb
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Messi somehow blew a penalty kick in the eighth minute, when teammate Lautaro Martinez was brought down by Austrian defender Stefan Posch.
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Several hours before the whistle blew on the pitch, Norwegian fans flocked to Times Square in the heart of New York City to give their squad a proper sendoff.
Verb
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Thirty years after she was murdered, Aimee Willard is still honoring her legacy with a garden of sunflowers in Delaware County.
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Later on, Jaehaerys II is murdered in the episode’s climax.
Verb
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The hood of the SUV was mangled, and the glass front door of the mini-mart was wrecked.
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As reported by Euronews, the opening planned for this weekend has been postponed to an unspecified date after severe winds mangled part of the artwork on the oldest bridge in the French capital.
Verb
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The app will include coding, chat, and a new agentic workflow capability dubbed Autopilot, Fortune reported in May.
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The 988 hotline, which has been dubbed the 911 for mental health emergencies, is credited with reducing teen and young adult suicide deaths.
Verb
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Its front-facing design deters pickpockets, while the water-resistant fabric protects your phone from surprise downpours or sweaty adventure days—because no one wants their phone ruined halfway through a trip.
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In practice, organic liquids like crude oil ruined everything.
Verb
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The second inferno killed 12 people, destroyed 6,500 structures across the Palisades and Malibu and cost billions in damage and insurance claims.
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In Paradise, California, a community destroyed by wildfire adopted the ‘Wildfire Prepared Home Standard’ as its mandatory rebuilding benchmark.
Cite this Entry
“Butchered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butchered. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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