BUTCHERING Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

butchering

verb

present participle of butcher

as in slaughtering

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in fumbling

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

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 butchering Bornemann had spent the day butchering a whole lamb and sent out family-style bowls of handmade pasta under lamb ragù. — David Hochman, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 The theory is that individuals became infected by a strain that was particularly lethal to the young through close contact with marmots (rodents that are known reservoirs of the plague), perhaps while butchering them. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 6 July 2026 Normally, that involves making stone tools, butchering deer, or distilling birch tar. — ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026 Newmark warns that the pig-butchering problem is likely to get worse thanks to AI. — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026 People began losing touch with butchering an entire animal, as well as with preparation methods for organ meats. — Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026 ProPublica has chronicled the dark world of pig butchering, in which human traffickers in Asia force their victims to scam people by posing as friends or potential romantic interests. — Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2026 While pig butchering operations are veering toward the sophisticated and professional, horrendous abuses persist. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 7 Apr. 2026 By butchering the fish in the restaurant, Hanke reduces the amount of time in which the quality of the fish could deteriorate. — Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 25 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for butchering

Verb

Disease had significantly weakened Tenochtitlán’s ability to withstand Cortés’s siege, and the Europeans eventually wore the Aztec warriors down and broke through the city’s defenses, slaughtering the Aztecs and destroying the city.

— Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 June 2026
Later on, plundering Barbary pirates raided Mallorca, looting possessions, slaughtering inhabitants and capturing others for the slave trade.

— Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 27 May 2026

Definition of slaughtering

Verb

Witnesses’ fumbling looks bad by comparison, and Ossoff sounds righteously angry without being rageful.

— David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
On Sunday, the Guardians essentially created a compilation video for Little League coaches to show their kids, a crash course in fumbling the fundamentals.

— Zack Meisel, New York Times, 21 July 2026

Definition of fumbling

Verb

This typically occurs when a vent is blowing cold air onto your thermostat, resulting in a temperature reading that is too low.

— Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 31 July 2026
The Vikings defense’s blowing a coverage happened so rarely that seeing it during last summer’s joint practices with the New England Patriots felt like spotting an eclipse.

— Alec Lewis, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of blowing

Verb

Their son pleaded guilty in October 2022 to murdering four students and injuring several others in the November 2021 shooting at Oxford High School and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

— Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 30 July 2026
On that Sabbath morning, a gunman shot his way into the synagogue, shouting antisemitic invective and murdering 11 worshipers from the three congregations sharing the building — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life.

— Peter Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

Definition of murdering

Verb

Blade grinders function more like blenders, frantically whirring in circles, mangling the beans, and tossing them all over the grinding chamber.

— Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 May 2026
Where was Michael Hill, the commissioner’s office executive serving as Team USA’s general manager, while his manager was mangling the stakes of the situation?

— Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026

Definition of mangling

Verb

Shop additional Ilia beauty products below, and don’t fret about the heat ruining your glam.

— Jennifer Chan, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026
Floyd is no longer attracted to his wife, has trouble connecting with his teen-age stepson, and owes tens of thousands in taxes—a set of stressors that are ruining his health.

— Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 July 2026

Definition of ruining

Verb

Keeping your lawn and garden well-maintained can also help reduce grasshopper populations by destroying their breeding habitat.

— The Spruce, The Spruce, 21 July 2026
But the Pentagon’s youthful set of avid desk-warriors forget that big hurricanes and regional weather events regularly disrupt waterfront facilities on the Gulf and East coasts, destroying worker housing and permanently peeling away shipbuilders.

— Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of destroying

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butcheries

butchering

butcherly

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“Butchering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butchering. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of butchering

verb

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