as in slaughters
the killing of a large number of people
the infamous massacre of more than 200 Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in murders
to kill on a large scale
the country's rival ethnic groups began massacring one another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of massacres
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
20 June 2026
Tens of thousands of Sudanese civilians were killed by the RSF in massacres after the capture of the Sudanese city of El Fasher alone last year.
—
Kate Bartlett,
NPR,
9 June 2026
Most significantly, Lepore found that readers wanted to know the full story of their country—the progress and the revanchism, the beauty and the ugliness, the racial massacres and the Indian New Deal.
—
Yoni Appelbaum,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Pierre is from Cite Soleil, a seaside neighborhood that has long struggled with hunger, massacres and gang violence.
—
Cbs Miami Team,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
Regions like Tigray, Amhara, and Oromia remain ravaged by active warfare, massacres, and mass displacement.
—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
The government began forming paramilitary groups that were responsible for countless massacres.
—
Roberto Andrés,
The Dial,
28 May 2026
This would mean more massive massacres and arrests.
—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Richard is implied to be Hutu, though his family are never suggested to have participated in or supported the massacres.
—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
19 May 2026
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
The lands historically now known as Ukraine were occupied by the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth for centuries, and many Ukrainians view their nation’s genesis as the rebellion of Cossack Hetman Boghdan Khmelnitsky against the commonwealth, an event characterized by massacres of Poles and Jews.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
20 June 2026
Tens of thousands of Sudanese civilians were killed by the RSF in massacres after the capture of the Sudanese city of El Fasher alone last year.
—
Kate Bartlett,
NPR,
9 June 2026
Most significantly, Lepore found that readers wanted to know the full story of their country—the progress and the revanchism, the beauty and the ugliness, the racial massacres and the Indian New Deal.
—
Yoni Appelbaum,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Pierre is from Cite Soleil, a seaside neighborhood that has long struggled with hunger, massacres and gang violence.
—
Cbs Miami Team,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
Regions like Tigray, Amhara, and Oromia remain ravaged by active warfare, massacres, and mass displacement.
—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
The government began forming paramilitary groups that were responsible for countless massacres.
—
Roberto Andrés,
The Dial,
28 May 2026
This would mean more massive massacres and arrests.
—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Richard is implied to be Hutu, though his family are never suggested to have participated in or supported the massacres.
—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
19 May 2026
Verb
The Polish government considers the Volhynia and Galicia massacres a genocide, and holds Bandera equal in infamy to Nazi war criminals of the same era.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for massacres
Noun
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Hands-down one of the most disgusting movies ever made (a compliment), the film finds the indefatigable slasher, who was decapitated at the end of Terrifier 2, reattaching his head and commencing his ritual slaughters.
Verb
-
Moriarty has reported on the yogurt shop murders for over 30 years.
-
Not the family stuff, like Natalie’s spontaneous nipple piercing after making out with Cady’s maybe-daughter, Nevaeh (Malia Pyles), who later murders her own mother after kissing her, for way too long, on the mouth.
Noun
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There are kills aplenty and deaths of profound significance.
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The recent deaths of three hikers in Grand Canyon National Park has prompted the National Park Service to remind park-goers of safety precautions.
Cite this Entry
“Massacres.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/massacres. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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