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
Later on, plundering Barbary pirates raided Mallorca, looting possessions, slaughtering inhabitants and capturing others for the slave trade.
—
Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Here, up to 20 courses are prepared with ritual precision, from seafood treated with the ikejime (humane fish-slaughtering) method, to rice and wasabi sourced from long-standing Japanese suppliers.
—Rachel Ingram, Robb Report, 10 May 2026
Livestock numbers are strictly controlled on Tristan, and the community manages the herd by occasionally slaughtering animals for meat and leather.
—NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
One thinks of the hundred brothers that Donald Antrim imagined, gathering in the ancestral home to honor their father’s memory and ritually slaughtering one of their own.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Before openly slaughtering thousands of protesters last month, Iran’s leaders had rejected chance after chance to improve the lives of their own people.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 26 Feb. 2026
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
Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Here, up to 20 courses are prepared with ritual precision, from seafood treated with the ikejime (humane fish-slaughtering) method, to rice and wasabi sourced from long-standing Japanese suppliers.
—Rachel Ingram, Robb Report, 10 May 2026
Livestock numbers are strictly controlled on Tristan, and the community manages the herd by occasionally slaughtering animals for meat and leather.
—NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
One thinks of the hundred brothers that Donald Antrim imagined, gathering in the ancestral home to honor their father’s memory and ritually slaughtering one of their own.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Before openly slaughtering thousands of protesters last month, Iran’s leaders had rejected chance after chance to improve the lives of their own people.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 26 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaughtering
Verb
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In December 2025, Nick Reiner was arrested on suspicion of murdering his parents, beloved filmmaker Rob Reiner and photographer/producer Michele Reiner.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
16 June 2026
-
Mangione is accused of stalking and murdering Brian Thompson, age 50, a health insurance executive and father of two, on a Manhattan street in 2024.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Gangs, rebels, and soldiers started massacring elephants, sometimes from military helicopters.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 June 2026
-
The San Diego duo responsible for a deadly mosque attack earlier this month were tweens in 2019 when a white supremacist livestreamed himself massacring 51 worshippers in Christchurch, New Zealand.—
Pilar Melendez,
NBC news,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion was created in response to two gunmen allegedly inspired by the Islamic State group slaying 15 people at a Sydney Hanukkah celebration in December.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
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The two children the fugitive father spirited away to Mexico after Bravo’s slaying nearly two years ago are safe in Sacramento County with their maternal grandmother, said Sacramento and federal authorities at a news conference Tuesday in downtown Sacramento.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
19 May 2026
Verb
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After gathering digital evidence, conducting witness interviews and executing search warrants, investigators obtained and served an arrest warrant Tuesday for the Yuba City man, according to a department statement.—
Reeti Malhotra,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
-
The overall concept of blocking and executing transitions while managing stamina is still at the core.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Rather than destroying employment, AI would improve small-business competitiveness, seeding novel job categories around AI development, oversight, and maintenance.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
11 Dec. 2025
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This week's Thai attacks, which stem from a long-running border dispute between the two Southeast Asian nations, have also forced more than 20,000 from their homes in several communities, the Cambodian ministry said, along with destroying infrastructure, damaging temples disrupting public services.—
Morgan Winsor,
ABC News,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
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After dispatching Montreal in five games to make the final, the Hurricanes then faced perennial power Vegas and took care of business there, too.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
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Some commentators’ dark horses for the tournament, Norway qualified from Europe with a perfect record, pillaging goals at will, while mercilessly dispatching opponents.—
Jonathan Thompson,
Travel + Leisure,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Behind the tip is a convex curve that maximizes the contact between the cutting edge with meat and skin, making skinning and butchering relatively easy.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 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 17 Jun. 2026.
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