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

Relevance

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

But when his ice cream-eating schoolmates begin slaughtering their parents overnight, seemingly fueled by the wafting sound of the truck jingle and old-timey black-and-white animations invading their phones, Jared seems like the lucky one.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of slaughtering

Verb

Most of the world was fumbling and scared, and Fauci seemed to have some idea of what to do.

— Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026
Achane, the Miami Dolphins’ starting tailback, was referring to Ollie Gordon II fumbling the ball away in Wednesday practice, the team’s first of training camp.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026

Definition of fumbling

Verb

City leaders have accused Lineage, whose warehouse in Boyle Heights was destroyed by fire, of blowing past the city’s 45-day deadline for removing millions of pounds of rotting food from its property.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Inequality has accelerated at an ever-growing pace, blowing past that of any previous eras, including the Gilded Age.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of blowing

Verb

After the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh’s conviction for murdering his wife and son earlier this year -- citing jury tampering by the court clerk in the case -- Judge Debra McCaslin scheduled his retrial for April 5, 2027.

— Janice McDonald, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
He is separately charged in New York state court with murdering Thompson and other counts.

— Dan Mangan, CNBC, 13 Aug. 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

Gen gets to bust out her flapper dress only to witness the most horrific, awful, potentially career-destroying failure … the caviar, oysters, and bread are all crowded onto the bread plate.

— Emma Soren, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
The three were accused of destroying property of value less than $1,000.

— Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of destroying

Browse Nearby Words

butcheries

butchering

butcherly

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“Butchering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butchering. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of butchering

verb

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