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
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Recent Examples of massacres
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
Next door in Syria, massacres of Alawite minorities took place last year in the wake of the Bashar al-Assad’s ouster — killings allegedly committed by forces aligned with the new government.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 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
The protests that started on December 28, 2025, and reached their intensity on January 8 and 9, were answered with what is thought to have been massacres of thousands of protesters, including children.
—Mahsa Alimardani, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
Next door in Syria, massacres of Alawite minorities took place last year in the wake of the Bashar al-Assad’s ouster — killings allegedly committed by forces aligned with the new government.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 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
The protests that started on December 28, 2025, and reached their intensity on January 8 and 9, were answered with what is thought to have been massacres of thousands of protesters, including children.
—Mahsa Alimardani, The Atlantic, 13 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
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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.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
-
Nicholson says he's struck by the similarities between Harold and Ty's deaths.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
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With the deaths of nine prisoners in the first three months of 2026, state legislators are calling for sweeping changes to improve health care in the prisons.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Massacres.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/massacres. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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