mas·sa·cre
ˈma-si-kər
1
: the act or an instance of killing a number of usually helpless or unresisting human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty
witnessed the massacre of a boatload of refugees
2
: a cruel or wanton (see wanton entry 1 sense 1a) murder
3
: a wholesale slaughter of animals
Residents engaged in a citywide cat massacre.
4
: an act of complete destruction
… the author's massacre of traditional federalist presuppositions.—R. G. McCloskey
the Puritan massacre of statues and pictures—Robert Hughes
massacred; massacring
ˈma-si-k(ə-)riŋ
1
: to kill by massacre
2
: mangle sense 2
… words were misspelled and syntax massacred.—Bice Clemow
Cite this Entry
“Massacre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/massacre. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
