as in massacre
the killing of a large number of people
all civilized nations should protest this senseless slaughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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.
Recent Examples of slaughter
Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Bardot first raised her voice to write a letter about animal slaughter on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Kebir, then eventually took that objection much further.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Dec. 2025
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
The stone in question was discovered and hidden by Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a fisherman forced to work in the diamond fields after the rebel army of the Revolutionary United Front slaughtered or mutilated nearly everyone in his village.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slaughter
Noun
People across the country spoke of slaughter, and compared its loss to that of a close family member, or to the death of Princess Diana.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Bardot first raised her voice to write a letter about animal slaughter on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Kebir, then eventually took that objection much further.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Dec. 2025
Verb
This slasher more than delivers on the promise of its title as multiple clowns wielding a panoply of weapons slaughter pretty young people.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
The stone in question was discovered and hidden by Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a fisherman forced to work in the diamond fields after the rebel army of the Revolutionary United Front slaughtered or mutilated nearly everyone in his village.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slaughter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaughter
Noun
-
The Uvalde massacre remains one of the deadliest US school shootings, a continuing scourge that has spurred security measures in classrooms across America.—
Matthew J. Friedman,
CNN Money,
14 Jan. 2026
-
They are used as a pretext to justify the siege, shelling and massacres committed against civilians.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Frank murdered Harry’s mother and siblings with a hammer, leaving young Harry severely injured and permanently disabled.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The killing of Renee Nicole Good, a thirty-seven-year-old mother and American citizen, at the hands of an ICE agent, this past Wednesday, took place less than a mile away from where George Floyd was murdered, in Minneapolis, in May, 2020.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slaughter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slaughter. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
