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

This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement. —CBS News, 25 Jan. 2026

The renewal followed months of controversy surrounding the agency after Israeli authorities provided videos that show UNRWA employees participating in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 massacre. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 25 Jan. 2026

Verb

The Kurds became even more fearful of losing their rights after government forces massacred minority Alawites and Druze in fighting throughout 2025. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2026

The military has been documented going on bloody rampages, torching and bombing villages, massacring residents, jailing opponents and forcing young men and women to join the army. —Ross Adkin, CNN Money, 27 Dec. 2025