as in slaughters
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 murders
to kill on a large scale
the country's rival ethnic groups began massacring one another
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Recent Examples of massacres
Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
The world sees the massacres in Lebanon.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Ghaemi said that this language was reminiscent of the propaganda that helped fuel and justify other historic atrocities, such as the massacres in Myanmar or Rwanda.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
And Glocks have been the killing machine of choice in some of America’s most horrifying massacres, including Virginia Tech in 2007, which left 33 dead, including the gunman, and the shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill in California in November 2018, where a gunman killed 13 people, then himself.
—Simon Akam, Vanity Fair, 2 Apr. 2026
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
In general, however, the law itself, as well as the difficulties of enforcing it in outlying districts, favored the settlers, and massacres, incursions, poisonings, and forced dispersals usually went unpunished.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
The images taken from space have provided evidence for investigations into widespread destruction, population movements, and even massacres, especially in places that are remote or inaccessible due to fighting on the ground.
—CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
Planting seasons, river baptisms, torture, prayers, African dialects, poverty, massacres, lynchings.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
The world sees the massacres in Lebanon.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Ghaemi said that this language was reminiscent of the propaganda that helped fuel and justify other historic atrocities, such as the massacres in Myanmar or Rwanda.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
And Glocks have been the killing machine of choice in some of America’s most horrifying massacres, including Virginia Tech in 2007, which left 33 dead, including the gunman, and the shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill in California in November 2018, where a gunman killed 13 people, then himself.
—Simon Akam, Vanity Fair, 2 Apr. 2026
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
In general, however, the law itself, as well as the difficulties of enforcing it in outlying districts, favored the settlers, and massacres, incursions, poisonings, and forced dispersals usually went unpunished.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
The images taken from space have provided evidence for investigations into widespread destruction, population movements, and even massacres, especially in places that are remote or inaccessible due to fighting on the ground.
—CBS News, 19 Mar. 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
-
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.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Geillis, on her quest to install Bonnie Prince Charlie on the throne, murders her husband as a blood sacrifice and walks through the stones.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
-
In 1971, a jury in Los Angeles recommended the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers for the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
No deaths have been reported from the severe weather and tornado outbreak.—
Chandelis Duster,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Among the victims were two boys, ages 12 and 14, whose deaths have rattled their community in Northeast Washington and prompted broader fears about an uptick in gun violence that typically unfolds in warmer weather.—
Marissa J. Lang,
Washington Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Massacres.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/massacres. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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