as in massacre
the killing of a large number of people
all civilized nations should protest this senseless slaughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to massacre
to kill on a large scale
modern poultry farms slaughter a vast number of chickens every day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slaughter
Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 15 May 2025
On October 7, as Hamas carried out its slaughter of 1,200 Israeli civilians, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh reportedly celebrated from Turkey.
—Sinan Ciddi and Jonathan Schanzer, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Rich Cohen, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2025
In what remains the deadliest mass shooting at a US K-12 school, 20 students aged 6 and 7 years old, and six staff members, had been slaughtered in their classrooms.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for slaughter
Noun
Pugh in his 60-mile swim is trying to raise awareness about the slaughter of sharks worldwide, and its effect on ocean ecosystems.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 15 May 2025
On October 7, as Hamas carried out its slaughter of 1,200 Israeli civilians, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh reportedly celebrated from Turkey.
—Sinan Ciddi and Jonathan Schanzer, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
On December 10, 1970, a New Canaan father returned from his job at Hi-Standard Manufacturing in Hamden, Connecticut, to find four members of his family — wife, daughter, son, and mother — slaughtered in their house at 93 Millport Avenue.
—Rich Cohen, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2025
In what remains the deadliest mass shooting at a US K-12 school, 20 students aged 6 and 7 years old, and six staff members, had been slaughtered in their classrooms.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for slaughter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaughter
Noun
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These included a shopping mall siege in 2013 that killed over 60, a bus hijacking in 2014 that killed 28, and a 2015 college massacre where 148 people—predominantly Christian students—were killed.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
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Israel on Thursday recovered the bodies of two hostages who were abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre that ignited the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.—
Bradford Betz , Yael Rotem-Kuriel,
FOXNews.com,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Ofir Amir was shot in both legs and survived, as 411 others were murdered and 47 taken hostage.—
Richard Johnson,
New York Daily News,
8 June 2025
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But with the second episode of Season 3, Alert: MPU sent viewers’ jaws dropping to the forest floor as Jason and Mike (Ryan Broussard) discovered that Nikki had been murdered — with a single gunshot to the head.—
Rebecca Luther,
TVLine,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slaughter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slaughter. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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