ethnic cleansing
noun
: the expulsion, imprisonment, or killing of an ethnic minority by a dominant majority in order to achieve ethnic homogeneity
Examples of ethnic cleansing in a Sentence
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Beginning around 2007, the United States offered shelter to tens of thousands of mostly Nepali-speaking, Bhutanese Hindus who had fled ethnic cleansing in the kingdom of Bhutan, which is predominantly Buddhist.
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Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Twenty years ago, at the 2005 World Summit, world leaders affirmed the responsibility of individual States to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, including through the prevention of these crimes and their incitement.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Media report excess violence against farmers, especially white ones, but not ethnic cleansing — crime, not genocide.
—Ben Goggin, NBC news, 15 May 2025
The violence led to large numbers of people fleeing the country, particularly ethnic minorities like the Rohingya, who have been denied citizenship and faced aggressive ethnic cleansing efforts from the military government, which views them as a threat to nationalist identity.
—Reia Li, AZCentral.com, 7 July 2025
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Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Twenty years ago, at the 2005 World Summit, world leaders affirmed the responsibility of individual States to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, including through the prevention of these crimes and their incitement.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Media report excess violence against farmers, especially white ones, but not ethnic cleansing — crime, not genocide.
—Ben Goggin, NBC news, 15 May 2025
The violence led to large numbers of people fleeing the country, particularly ethnic minorities like the Rohingya, who have been denied citizenship and faced aggressive ethnic cleansing efforts from the military government, which views them as a threat to nationalist identity.
—Reia Li, AZCentral.com, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ethnic cleansing
Cite this Entry
“Ethnic cleansing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnic%20cleansing. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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