Synonyms of massacre

massacre 1 of 2

noun

ˈma-si-kər 

as in slaughter

the killing of a large number of people

the infamous massacre of more than 200 Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slaughter
• carnage
• death
• genocide
• holocaust
• murder
• bloodbath
• butchery
• killing
• slaying
• bloodshed
• extermination
• destruction
• homicide
• devastation
• manslaughter
• assassination
• mortality
• annihilation
• execution
• pogrom
• bloodletting
• eradication
• decimation
• foul play
• demolishing

massacre

2 of 2

verb

as in to slaughter

to kill on a large scale

the country's rival ethnic groups began massacring one another

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slaughter
• murder
• butcher
• slay
• assassinate
• dispatch
• execute
• destroy
• mow (down)
• eradicate
• fell
• exterminate
• wipe out
• smite
• demolish
• snuff
• annihilate
• waste
• decimate
• blot out
• do in
• devastate
• croak

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of massacre

Noun

Infowars was put up for sale in 2024, after Jones lost defamation suits filed by victims’ families following the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026

The community is an online subculture that emerged from forums established after the Columbine massacre to discuss and, in some cases, glorify such violence. —Maria Verza, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026

Verb

But vigilante movements in Mexico historically get co-opted by rival cartels or massacred, creating a dangerous spiral that could worsen after recent cartel leadership deaths. —Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026

But in places where criminal groups are more present than law enforcement, nearly every vigilante movement that has emerged in recent history has either been coopted by rival cartels or massacred. —ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026