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 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 At first, the recruits wonder if this is all part of the big test, though when the machine starts butchering them, the sole survivors realise that something else is up. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 11 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

The Sky rank 13th in the league with a 7-16 record after fumbling a fourth-quarter lead Sunday in a loss to the Dallas Wings.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
The Rockies’ Jake McCarthy pulled McDonald’s second pitch of the day into Triples Alley and never stopped running, taking advantage of right fielder Jung Hoo Lee fumbling the ball.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 12 July 2026

Definition of fumbling

Verb

But extraordinary pressure is building in the Middle East, and the new escalation could send oil blowing past those dubious milestones.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
Tamra is right; Shannon and some of the other cast are looking for things to get mad about, taking tiny things and blowing them up.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 24 July 2026

Definition of blowing

Verb

Two members of an Orange County street gang were found guilty of murdering a man while attempting to carry out an armed robbery under the direction of the Mexican Mafia, authorities said.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
He was convicted of murdering six people and supervising a drug operation, receiving a sentence of life in prison.

— Shelby Stivale, Entertainment Weekly, 23 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

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
Plus, one of the biggest things that holds people back from DIY is a fear of ruining their home, but that’s virtually impossible with peel-and-stick wallpaper.

— Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 13 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

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 27 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of butchering

verb

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