mercy killings

noun

plural of mercy killing
as in murders
the act of ending the life of someone who is very sick or injured in order to prevent any further suffering Some called her death a mercy killing.

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercy killings
  1. murders
  2. homicides
  3. massacres
Noun
  • Mackenzie was charged with the murders alongside 28 of his followers, including guards who enforced his fasting directives and gravediggers who helped conceal the mass graves.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Alabama capped off the triple execution day by putting Michael Taylor, 54, to death for the 1991 murders of an older couple who were beaten to death with a metal bar during a robbery inside their home.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of murders
Noun
  • In it, the Ford campaigned noted high opioid overdose deaths, firearm homicides, and child poverty in the district, among other issues.
    — Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The case comes as Tarrant County reports a second straight annual increase in intimate partner homicides.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of homicides
Noun
  • The vast majority expressed deep distress and anger at their government after the massacres that took place in response to January’s mass protests.
    — Narges Bajoghli, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, while posturing as the guardian of a democratic transition, governed through massacres and military tribunals.
    — Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of massacres
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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mercy killing
mercy killings
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Cite this Entry

“Mercy killings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercy%20killings. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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