as in slaughter
the killing of a large number of people
butchery on a scale that horrified the civilized world
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Recent Examples of butchery
Of the remains, 222 had color changes that are associated with cremation, while 69 of those bones had signs of butchery likely performed after death.
—
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Aug. 2025
Yet, instead of protesting in the streets condemning Hamas’ sadistic butchery and demanding the terror group release its hostages and leave the Gaza Strip so that the Palestinian people may crawl out from beneath its rancid thumb, the American left focuses its ire on Israel instead.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 7 Aug. 2025
The skulls bore butchery marks, hinting at a feast; however, the real mystery was their origin.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 29 July 2025
Neanderthals at Amud, meanwhile, might have done the butchery of these creatures elsewhere.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for butchery
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Aug. 2025
Yet, instead of protesting in the streets condemning Hamas’ sadistic butchery and demanding the terror group release its hostages and leave the Gaza Strip so that the Palestinian people may crawl out from beneath its rancid thumb, the American left focuses its ire on Israel instead.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 7 Aug. 2025
The skulls bore butchery marks, hinting at a feast; however, the real mystery was their origin.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 29 July 2025
Neanderthals at Amud, meanwhile, might have done the butchery of these creatures elsewhere.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for butchery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butchery
Noun
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August saw a 10 percent decline in cattle slaughter, the largest year-over-year decline for any month in 2025, according to the agency’s report.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
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Enter Harriet Hemenway and her cousin Minna Hall, two Boston socialites who read about the egret slaughter and decided enough was enough.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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After surviving the massacre and making a recovery that surprised even her doctors, Sophia returned home in time to celebrate her upcoming 13th birthday, a family spokesperson told CNN.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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During this second season, which ended up being the final one, a lot of people felt the massacre in Ghorman resonated with the real world, specifically Gaza.—
E. Alex Jung,
Vulture,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Butchery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butchery. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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