1
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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2
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
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Recent Examples of butchering
The same day, a friend sent him an article about pig-butchering schemes.
—
Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025
This can include field dressing, skinning, butchering into various cuts and packaging.
—Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 2025
However, the miniature accessories didn’t seem to stop a group of humans from felling and butchering the elephant.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 8 Oct. 2025
The artifacts included thimbles, a needle remnant and buttons — in addition to animal bones that showed signs of butchering.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
But there’s only one way to get good at butchering, and that’s to do a bunch of it each fall — and follow these tips.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bushmeat has the potential to spread diseases like Ebola due to hunting, butchering, and processing meat from infected animals.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Jarrett Stidham’s preseason stats, after another night spent butchering another second-team defense, are Madden Career Mode-worthy.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2025
Calio artifacts The Calio artifacts are small, sharp flakes, the kind of tools early humans would have used for tasks like butchering animals or processing plants.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2025
Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025
This can include field dressing, skinning, butchering into various cuts and packaging.
—Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 2025
However, the miniature accessories didn’t seem to stop a group of humans from felling and butchering the elephant.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 8 Oct. 2025
The artifacts included thimbles, a needle remnant and buttons — in addition to animal bones that showed signs of butchering.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
But there’s only one way to get good at butchering, and that’s to do a bunch of it each fall — and follow these tips.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bushmeat has the potential to spread diseases like Ebola due to hunting, butchering, and processing meat from infected animals.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Jarrett Stidham’s preseason stats, after another night spent butchering another second-team defense, are Madden Career Mode-worthy.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2025
Calio artifacts The Calio artifacts are small, sharp flakes, the kind of tools early humans would have used for tasks like butchering animals or processing plants.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butchering
Verb
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She was convicted and fined five times in French courts of inciting racial hatred, in incidents inspired by her opposition to the Muslim practice of slaughtering sheep during annual religious holidays.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Dec. 2025
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The pearl-clutchers are stuck in the past, blubbering over things like the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War or the Waffen-SS slaughtering 84 American soldiers captured in Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.—
Doug McIntyre,
Oc Register,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The image of Gobert fumbling with the ball and having his shot attempt rim out has been a lasting one.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Georgia Tech also went 3 of 6, fumbling at the BYU 11-yard line in the third quarter and having a 35-yard field goal by Aidan Birr blocked late in the quarter.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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Somehow, this new sensation emitted an awareness of the magnitude in which skateboarding would warp my life, which only ratcheted up the anxiety of blowing it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But there is more murdering and banishing to come.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
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The Huntsman centers on an ICU nurse who becomes immersed in a dangerous world after agreeing to help a coma patient accused of murdering six women.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Bruce, my sincere apology for 40 years of mangling your songs in the car.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
11 Dec. 2025
-
When Jets safety Malachi Moore went to tackle Hill, the wideout’s leg got caught underneath him, mangling the appendage in the process.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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IMDb now accepts credits for dubbing foreign-language versions of movies and TV shows, which is just much better for those professionals to showcase their global work.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
5 Nov. 2025
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Voice actors can now submit dubbing credits on their IMDb profiles.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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And, from this week’s issue, Nicola Twilley’s reporting on another lingering effect of the wildfires—smoke taint that is ruining grapes and threatening California’s wine industry.—
Dana Goodyear,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
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The video then shows the man asking if the situation was ruining Kaleel's Christmas.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By the 1960s, gas flares and untreated waste spillage were destroying their forests.—
Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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And there is a risk of the parasites becoming dormant for years before reactivating and destroying a new cornea.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Butchering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butchering. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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