as in massacre
the killing of a large number of people
all civilized nations should protest this senseless slaughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to massacre
to kill on a large scale
modern poultry farms slaughter a vast number of chickens every day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slaughter
Alex Harring, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
One of the children who somehow survived the slaughter grew up to be the maternal grandfather of Vermeer.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Halal is hand-slaughtered by Muslims.
—Steve Metsch, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for slaughter
Noun
Each contract is for 40,000 pounds of live cattle, typically about 30 to 35 head of finished, slaughter-ready cattle.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
One of the children who somehow survived the slaughter grew up to be the maternal grandfather of Vermeer.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
Before refrigeration – so a long, long time ago – pigs were slaughtered in the fall, preserved and cured to keep safe through the winter months.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Halal is hand-slaughtered by Muslims.
—Steve Metsch, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for slaughter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaughter
Noun
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Infowars is facing liquidation because of the more than $1 billion in defamation lawsuit judgments Jones owes relatives of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting for calling the massacre a hoax.—
Jim Vertuno,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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Valente began plotting the Brown University massacre as early as 2022, renting a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, to stash his weapons.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Additional rooms focus on killers such as John Wayne Gacy, known as the clown serial killer who was convicted of killing 33 young men and boys, and the Green River Killer, named Gary Ridgway, who was convicted of murdering 49 women between 1982 and 1998, among others.—
Lexi Lane,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
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The parents of Celeste Rivas Hernandez were cleared of allegations of child neglect and abuse in the months before authorities say the teenager was murdered and dismembered by singer D4vd, who now faces a possible death sentence for the slaying.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slaughter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slaughter. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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