as in murdering
to kill on a large scale
modern poultry farms slaughter a vast number of chickens every day
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Recent Examples of slaughtering
After recently slaughtering thousands of peaceful protesters, including shooting protesters in their hospital beds, Iran has been elected by the UN to serve as vice chair of the UN Commission for Social Development.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
During one of her tantrums, Cathy walks by Heathcliff and other hired hands slaughtering a pig, the blood flooding the courtyard of Wuthering Heights.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Some parts of Route 65 looked more like an artillery range, with rim-bending, tire-tearing, and suspension-slaughtering potholes blossoming from the black top.
—Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
In Jonathan Miles’s novella, a man is tasked with saving an island sanctuary by slaughtering thousands of goats.
—Ron Charles, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026
The pearl-clutchers are stuck in the past, blubbering over things like the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War or the Waffen-SS slaughtering 84 American soldiers captured in Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.
—Doug McIntyre, Oc Register, 7 Dec. 2025
Rival gangs and abusive guards already make survival a waking nightmare, but when an unseen force begins slaughtering inmates one by one, the prison spirals into chaos.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025
Despite the fact ostrich feathers can be harvested without slaughtering, Collective Fashion Justice published research in 2023 that found all ostrich feather production systems ultimately kill the bird.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Butchering an animal for meat — slaughtering cows, pigs, lambs — was an act of necessity, not pleasure.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 16 Oct. 2025
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
During one of her tantrums, Cathy walks by Heathcliff and other hired hands slaughtering a pig, the blood flooding the courtyard of Wuthering Heights.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Some parts of Route 65 looked more like an artillery range, with rim-bending, tire-tearing, and suspension-slaughtering potholes blossoming from the black top.
—Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
In Jonathan Miles’s novella, a man is tasked with saving an island sanctuary by slaughtering thousands of goats.
—Ron Charles, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026
The pearl-clutchers are stuck in the past, blubbering over things like the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War or the Waffen-SS slaughtering 84 American soldiers captured in Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.
—Doug McIntyre, Oc Register, 7 Dec. 2025
Rival gangs and abusive guards already make survival a waking nightmare, but when an unseen force begins slaughtering inmates one by one, the prison spirals into chaos.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025
Despite the fact ostrich feathers can be harvested without slaughtering, Collective Fashion Justice published research in 2023 that found all ostrich feather production systems ultimately kill the bird.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Butchering an animal for meat — slaughtering cows, pigs, lambs — was an act of necessity, not pleasure.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaughtering
Verb
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The family is known for murdering its own members, planning atrocities with wildfire, and generally unleashing a draconian rage on the commoners of Westeros.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 2026
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Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty to murdering his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, during a brief hearing in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Monday morning.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran is massacring young people and destroying Iran’s future.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The military has been documented going on bloody rampages, torching and bombing villages, massacring residents, jailing opponents and forcing young men and women to join the army.—
Ross Adkin,
CNN Money,
27 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Robert Early Madden, 37, was found guilty by a San Diego Superior Court jury of first-degree murder and a special circumstance allegation of committing the killing during a robbery for the July 15, 2024, slaying of 38-year-old Senait Legesse.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
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The series finds Ash Williams — of the original Evil Dead trilogy — living in a trailer park and working as a department store stocker, still haunted by his experiences slaying Deadites three decades earlier.—
Sammi Burke,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But executing its strategy won’t be easy.—
Xiaoying You,
semafor.com,
24 Feb. 2026
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The writing didn’t necessarily have a purposeful driving imperative, but the show’s new cast was exceptional, and there were worse things to do than watch Kerry Bishé, Eliza Coupe, Dave Franco and Michael Mosley executing Bill Lawrence’s dialogue and wild tonal shifts.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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One woman, in her 30s, had been hit by bird shot at close range, destroying the roof of her mouth and the area around her nose and below her eyes, the surgeon recalled.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
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On Monday, a judge issued a temporary restraining order that presumably prevents the defendants from altering or destroying any evidence at the refinery.—
Patrick Danner,
San Antonio Express-News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hruby pinned all three opponents so far in less than a minute, including dispatching Discovery Canyon’s Sophia Flores in 48 seconds in the semifinals.—
Nate Peterson,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
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The very act of dispatching armed soldiers to the parliament building and transporting them by helicopter constituted acts of insurrection, Ji said.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The same day, a friend sent him an article about pig-butchering schemes.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
29 Nov. 2025
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This can include field dressing, skinning, butchering into various cuts and packaging.—
Gabrielle Chenault,
Nashville Tennessean,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slaughtering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slaughtering. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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