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
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
In Jonathan Miles’s novella, a man is tasked with saving an island sanctuary by slaughtering thousands of goats.
—Ron Charles, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026
The pearl-clutchers are stuck in the past, blubbering over things like the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War or the Waffen-SS slaughtering 84 American soldiers captured in Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.
—Doug McIntyre, Oc Register, 7 Dec. 2025
Rival gangs and abusive guards already make survival a waking nightmare, but when an unseen force begins slaughtering inmates one by one, the prison spirals into chaos.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025
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
In Jonathan Miles’s novella, a man is tasked with saving an island sanctuary by slaughtering thousands of goats.
—Ron Charles, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026
The pearl-clutchers are stuck in the past, blubbering over things like the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War or the Waffen-SS slaughtering 84 American soldiers captured in Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.
—Doug McIntyre, Oc Register, 7 Dec. 2025
Rival gangs and abusive guards already make survival a waking nightmare, but when an unseen force begins slaughtering inmates one by one, the prison spirals into chaos.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaughtering
Verb
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What happened Israel’s parliament on Monday gave final approval to legislation that makes death by hanging the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis.—
Peter Weber,
TheWeek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Israel’s parliament approved death penalty by hanging for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, making capital punishment the default sentence in military courts.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran is massacring young people and destroying Iran’s future.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
19 Mar. 2026
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The military has been documented going on bloody rampages, torching and bombing villages, massacring residents, jailing opponents and forcing young men and women to join the army.—
Ross Adkin,
CNN Money,
27 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Taylor, 35, has been slaying this award season, not only on the red carpet but also by earning an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress in Paul Thomas Anderson's action dramedy.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
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The 16-year-old son of slaying victim Yesenia Hall heard his mom’s screams from the bedroom of their third-floor apartment early Saturday.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Police detained a man after executing the search warrant.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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The company cited rules against apps executing unreviewed code.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Will Trump adopt Putin-style tactics by destroying power plants or even desalination plants in what could amount to an attack on the beleaguered Iranian people themselves?—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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In the weeks since, fears of a long-term occupation of southern Lebanon have grown, with Israel moving to establish a buffer zone in the area, leveling homes and destroying bridges over the Litani River, which connects the south to the rest of Lebanon, while taking control of what crossings remain.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While disagreement remains over its necessity, Porter County E911 will begin dispatching police calls for the towns of Chesterton and Porter Wednesday amid improved relations between the towns and county.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
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The 21-year-old British southpaw had been dispatching opponents early — none of his previous nine opponents had made it through two rounds.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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By butchering the fish in the restaurant, Hanke reduces the amount of time in which the quality of the fish could deteriorate.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
25 Mar. 2026
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At first, the recruits wonder if this is all part of the big test, though when the machine starts butchering them, the sole survivors realise that something else is up.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slaughtering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slaughtering. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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