hangman

noun

Definition of hangmannext
as in executioner

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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 hangman At the end of long days, Banjo would bring his kids to the office, and the group — Kotwica, Banjo and the kids — would play games of hangman on the greaseboard. — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025 The nursery consists of coral fragments that dangle from hangman structures that the Coral Restoration Foundation put 30 feet under the surface. — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2025 The death penalty has just been abolished in the United Kingdom, and all the townspeople in Oldham want to know what the second-best hangman in the country has to say about it. — Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 Middle East historian Ervand Abrahamian detailed in his 1999 book Tortured Confessions that the committee refused to use a firing squad because of the noise, even when the hangmen complained of the grueling labor involved in hanging so many. — Kasra Naji, Foreign Affairs, 17 Aug. 2016 See All Example Sentences for hangman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hangman
  1. executioner
  2. headsman
  3. murderer
  4. executor
  5. assassin
Noun
  • As the rabbi prayed, the executioner secured the five leather straps.
    — Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
  • She was executed on May 27, 1541 by an executioner’s assistant, the executioner having been called away that day.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of executioner
Noun
  • Two other men, subjects of excellent Holbein drawings in the show, would keep appointments with the headsman.
    — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022
  • Once upon a time, the queen could have sent rebels to the Tower and the headsman’s block, even relatives—especially relatives.
    — Matt Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 9 Mar. 2021
Definition of headsman
Noun
  • This psychological thriller stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a man with anterograde amnesia struggling to track down his wife’s murderer using a system of tattoos and notes.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • The voice cast is a murderer's row of famous Australians, including Sarah Snook, Eric Bana, and Nick Cave.
    — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 July 2026
Definition of murderer
Noun
  • His sister Jody Allen, the executor of his will and trust, has run the teams in his absence.
    — Scott Soshnick, Variety, 12 July 2026
  • His sister Jody Allen, the executor of his will and trust, has run the teams in his absence.
    — Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of executor
Noun
  • Judith claims to be a forensic accountant, but is actually a career assassin whose very name sends shivers of fear through her enemies and ones of excitement through her admirers.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026
  • Julie has returned her old ways as an assassin, whilst navigating an equally perilous dating scene, while Edward’s honeymoon with Kayla (Shalom Brune-Franklin) doesn’t go quite as planned.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 July 2026
Definition of assassin

Browse Nearby Words

hang loose
hangman
hangmen
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Cite this Entry

“Hangman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hangman. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hangman

Nglish: Translation of hangman for Spanish Speakers

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