1
as in slaughtered
to kill on a large scale
the barbarians butchered the monks in the monasteries without mercy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
the new piano student butchered the sonatina
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of butchered
Because, like other market animals, even the plush, adorable bovine winners end up butchered and sent to supermarkets.
—
Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026
Now sixty-five, Petro is a survivor of a brutal era in which the Colombian state assassinated leftist leaders and butchered their followers, in an effort to quell the country’s Marxist guerrilla forces.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2026
Because the puppies were found near a site where ancient humans had butchered woolly mammoths, researchers had wondered whether they might be domesticated dogs, as opposed to wolves.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
Bavette is known for its high-quality meats sourced from small producers and butchered in-house.
—Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Late in the second period, the Blue Jackets, still leading 4-1, continually butchered the puck in their own zone, almost presenting it to the Penguins as an offering.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
At the time that the cut was identified, researchers proposed that the mark proved that First Peoples butchered ancient megafauna.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Multiple other locations in central Italy have butchered elephant remains, small stone tools, and larger modified bones.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 8 Oct. 2025
Reese tried that one, too, but butchered it when his lean came well into the end zone.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2025
Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026
Now sixty-five, Petro is a survivor of a brutal era in which the Colombian state assassinated leftist leaders and butchered their followers, in an effort to quell the country’s Marxist guerrilla forces.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2026
Because the puppies were found near a site where ancient humans had butchered woolly mammoths, researchers had wondered whether they might be domesticated dogs, as opposed to wolves.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
Bavette is known for its high-quality meats sourced from small producers and butchered in-house.
—Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Late in the second period, the Blue Jackets, still leading 4-1, continually butchered the puck in their own zone, almost presenting it to the Penguins as an offering.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
At the time that the cut was identified, researchers proposed that the mark proved that First Peoples butchered ancient megafauna.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Multiple other locations in central Italy have butchered elephant remains, small stone tools, and larger modified bones.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 8 Oct. 2025
Reese tried that one, too, but butchered it when his lean came well into the end zone.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butchered
Verb
-
The Kurds have been marginalized, persecuted and slaughtered by the likes of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and before those states existed, the Ottoman Empire.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Thousands of English troops were being slaughtered in the trench warfare against Germany.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But Jaylen Petty fumbled the outlet pass after the steal, and UCF (17-4, 6-3 Big 12) recovered to set up Fulks' jumper to go up by two possessions.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Feb. 2026
-
But Jaylen Petty fumbled the outlet pass after the steal, and UCF (17-4, 6-3 Big 12) recovered to set up Fulks’ jumper to go up by two possessions.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Organizers handed out plastic whistles, which participants blew as music blared from a van.—
Colleen Barry,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
-
When the full-time whistle blew at the Alinma Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Matthias Jaissle was wild-eyed.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
James Folta Talks to Bookseller Angela Schwesnedl Angela Schwesnedl from Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis picked up my phone call on Saturday almost two hours to the minute after Alex Pretti was murdered in the street by ICE officers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Eger watched her parents taken away to the gas chambers where more than a million people, primarily of Jewish descent, were murdered.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Photos from the scene show the side of the CSP cruiser mangled with the airbags deployed.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Francisco Carmona, Córdoba’s fire chief, told Spanish national radio RNE that one of the trains was badly mangled, with at least four wagons off the rails.—
Joseph Wilson,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Note Pro also has excellent battery life, able to record 30 hours of audio continuously on a charge in what’s dubbed Enhanced Mode.—
Dwight Silverman,
Houston Chronicle,
31 Jan. 2026
-
New York may be dubbed the city that never sleeps, but Los Angeles gives it a run for its money—at least during Grammys weekend.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Vogue,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Frankly, this ruined my birthday for me for the next forty years.—
Gaby Iori
January 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Knowing what not to wash together can save plenty of headaches (and ruined garments and linens) down the line.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Holy Innocents School posted on Facebook that the school’s church hall was broken into and destroyed.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
The structure was destroyed during World War II and numerous frescoes were lost in raids, according to Jubilee 2025.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Butchered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butchered. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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