as in slaughter
the killing of a large number of people
the infamous massacre of more than 200 Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota
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as in to slaughter
to kill on a large scale
the country's rival ethnic groups began massacring one another
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Recent Examples of massacre
Lorne Cook, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Gran Grif also was blamed for an attack in the central town of Pont-Sondé in October 2024, where more than 70 people were killed in one of the biggest massacres in Haiti’s recent history.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Ghassan E. El-Eid, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
But just last month, days after the Iranian regime massacred thousands of its own citizens, Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, sent out the opposite message.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for massacre
Noun
At the Church of Saint Andrew in Bucha, after viewing dozens of graphic photographs and a video display of the massacres with his EU counterparts, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski was grim.
—Lorne Cook, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Gran Grif also was blamed for an attack in the central town of Pont-Sondé in October 2024, where more than 70 people were killed in one of the biggest massacres in Haiti’s recent history.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
In the latest January 2026 uprisings, it is estimated that the regime massacred in excess of 40,000 protestors.
—Ghassan E. El-Eid, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
But just last month, days after the Iranian regime massacred thousands of its own citizens, Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, sent out the opposite message.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for massacre
Recent Examples of Synonyms for massacre
slaughter
Noun
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That's because the industry is suddenly less burdened by excess slaughter capacity that had been keeping profit margins low.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
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In Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, the countdown isn’t just for the inevitable mass slaughter but also for the nuptials of Rachel Harkin (Camila Morrone) and Nicky Cunningham (Adam DiMarco).—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Massacre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/massacre. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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