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

Hamas, which carried out the brutal massacre of more than 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023, has long had Turkish backing. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Here, four of the victims of Sheridan’s Sunday massacre — Jeremy Gauna (Pete Plenty Clouds), Michael Spears (Runs His Horse), Sebastian Roché (Father Renaud) and Darren Mann (Jack Dutton) — talk about ending their run on the Dutton saga. —Lynette Rice, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2025

Verb

Two victims, teen high school girls, were massacred with machetes and baseball bats. —Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 21 Jan. 2025

The first season ended with Joel making the shocking decision to massacre a group of Fireflies, who planned to use Elle's immunity to make a cure for the infection but at the cost of her life. —Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025