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
Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
The massacres perpetrated by the Islamic regime disqualify it and require that the voice be given back to the people.
—Haley Ott, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2026
Back-to-back massacres have reignited allegations from conservative pundits that transgender ideology and individuals are more prone to violence and the reason transgender people engage in mass shootings is explicitly tied to their incongruent gender identity.
—Elaine Mallon, Baltimore Sun, 18 Feb. 2026
Unfortunately massacres seems to have become quite timely.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026
Shriver’s many strange enthusiasms have provided her with a wellspring of ideas, which in the past have produced highly topical novels—about school massacres, obesity, religion, and, yes, the national debt.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
The regime is resorting to massacres to suppress the unrest.
—Shahrnush Parsipur, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Even lower estimates indicate the massacres were wholly unprecedented in their scale and ferocity than some of the most infamous protest massacres of modern times.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
The phrase evokes memories of the mass executions of political prisoners during that decade, culminating in the 1988 prison massacres, for which no official has ever been held accountable.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
But then the day that this film got to the peak of its accolades and recognition in the world was exactly the peak of the massacres happening in Iran.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
The massacres perpetrated by the Islamic regime disqualify it and require that the voice be given back to the people.
—Haley Ott, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2026
Back-to-back massacres have reignited allegations from conservative pundits that transgender ideology and individuals are more prone to violence and the reason transgender people engage in mass shootings is explicitly tied to their incongruent gender identity.
—Elaine Mallon, Baltimore Sun, 18 Feb. 2026
Unfortunately massacres seems to have become quite timely.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026
Shriver’s many strange enthusiasms have provided her with a wellspring of ideas, which in the past have produced highly topical novels—about school massacres, obesity, religion, and, yes, the national debt.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
The regime is resorting to massacres to suppress the unrest.
—Shahrnush Parsipur, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Even lower estimates indicate the massacres were wholly unprecedented in their scale and ferocity than some of the most infamous protest massacres of modern times.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
The phrase evokes memories of the mass executions of political prisoners during that decade, culminating in the 1988 prison massacres, for which no official has ever been held accountable.
—Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 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
-
That’s true at the end of the film but not at the beginning, when Jason dons the mask and murders his film professor.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Her unscrupulous, power-hungry uncle Claudius (Kôji Yakusho) murders his own brother to become king.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Scream is so fun, but the deaths are so brutal, especially that.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Mar. 2026
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The Lancet, a respected medical journal, estimates deaths may approach 200,000, leading many to question claims of proportional self-defense.—
Ken Barnes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Massacres.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/massacres. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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