slaughter
1 of 2noun
slaugh·ter ˈslȯ-tər 
1
: the act of killing
specifically : the butchering of livestock for market
2
: killing of great numbers of human beings (as in battle or a massacre) : carnage
slaughter
2 of 2verb
slaughtered; slaughtering; slaughters
transitive verb
1
: to kill (animals) for food : butcher
2
a
: to kill in a bloody or violent manner : slay
b
: to kill in large numbers : massacre
3
: to discredit, defeat, or demolish completely
slaughterer
ˈslȯ-tər-ər
noun 
Synonyms
Noun
- bloodbath
- butchery
- carnage
- death
- holocaust
- massacre
Verb
- butcher
- massacre
- mow (down)
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun the slaughter of innocent people all civilized nations should protest this senseless slaughter Verb Our team got slaughtered yesterday. modern poultry farms slaughter a vast number of chickens every day
Recent Examples on the Web
Celia Wren, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2022 Massed infantry and cavalry charges became mass slaughter. Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2022 Stern added that Israel must also play a role in ensuring Jewish life can thrive in the Diaspora, such as opposing government policies that ban fundamental Jewish needs, like ritual slaughter or circumcision. Maayan Hoffman, Sun Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2022 This is achieved by feeding the cattle a large amount of grain before the slaughter. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Aug. 2022 Sheen works with a total lack of self-consciousness, remaining always inside the character, staring out of it in disbelief and horror at the carnage and slaughter that surrounds him. Arthur Knight, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Aug. 2022 Many of us thought the slaughter would lead to passage of commonsense gun regulation — at the very least, outlawing the AR-15-style rifle that was used to take those innocent lives. Steven P. Dinkin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2022 The 500-mile-wide district, one of the largest in the country, extends from El Paso, 6 miles from a 2019 Walmart massacre, to the eastern edge of San Antonio, 18 miles from a 2017 Sutherland Springs church slaughter. Elizabeth Findell, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2022 The cast is terrific, the dialogue is snappy, and Logan has the kernel of a great idea here, connecting the teenage slaughter that fills most slashers to the real-world cruelty of conversion camps. Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2022 Michele Chandler, USA TODAY, 4 Sep. 2022 The ruling, handed down on May 11, less than two weeks before an 18-year-old gunman used a similar weapon to slaughter 19 schoolchildren and two adults in Uvalde, Texas, evoked an America beleaguered by frontier lawlessness. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2022 The plant is expected to employ about 800 people and could slaughter 1,500 head of cattle a day, according to its founders. Patrick Thomas, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2022 As a member of the Global Compact, with over 1,000 food products for national and international consumption, Pif Paf has been a leader in the humane handling of animals on farms and their journey to slaughter. Judith Magyar, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 The tortoises could live for months without food or water, so the sailors would fill their ship hulls with live tortoises, then slaughter them along the way for fresh meat, Jensen said. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 10 June 2022 Across the galaxy, the Empire continues to root out the Jedi, slaughter them, crush all opposition. Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 1 June 2022 Rising prices aren’t offsetting costs, likely prompting farmers to slaughter animals earlier than usual. Megan Durisin, Jen Skerritt, Michael Hirtzer, Anchorage Daily News, 21 May 2022 That is also where the suspect, before setting out to slaughter Black shoppers in Buffalo, posted a 180-page compendium of racist arguments and internet memes. New York Times, 15 May 2022 See More
Noun
Yet in agile, fast-paced, ingeniously choreographed sequences, slaughter and vengeance shimmer into life. Celia Wren, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2022 Massed infantry and cavalry charges became mass slaughter. Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2022 Stern added that Israel must also play a role in ensuring Jewish life can thrive in the Diaspora, such as opposing government policies that ban fundamental Jewish needs, like ritual slaughter or circumcision. Maayan Hoffman, Sun Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2022 This is achieved by feeding the cattle a large amount of grain before the slaughter. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Aug. 2022 Sheen works with a total lack of self-consciousness, remaining always inside the character, staring out of it in disbelief and horror at the carnage and slaughter that surrounds him. Arthur Knight, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Aug. 2022 Many of us thought the slaughter would lead to passage of commonsense gun regulation — at the very least, outlawing the AR-15-style rifle that was used to take those innocent lives. Steven P. Dinkin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2022 The 500-mile-wide district, one of the largest in the country, extends from El Paso, 6 miles from a 2019 Walmart massacre, to the eastern edge of San Antonio, 18 miles from a 2017 Sutherland Springs church slaughter. Elizabeth Findell, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2022 The cast is terrific, the dialogue is snappy, and Logan has the kernel of a great idea here, connecting the teenage slaughter that fills most slashers to the real-world cruelty of conversion camps. Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2022 Verb
Those unknown third parties have either slaughtered Cedar or sent him to slaughter, according to the lawsuit. Michele Chandler, USA TODAY, 4 Sep. 2022 The ruling, handed down on May 11, less than two weeks before an 18-year-old gunman used a similar weapon to slaughter 19 schoolchildren and two adults in Uvalde, Texas, evoked an America beleaguered by frontier lawlessness. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2022 The plant is expected to employ about 800 people and could slaughter 1,500 head of cattle a day, according to its founders. Patrick Thomas, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2022 As a member of the Global Compact, with over 1,000 food products for national and international consumption, Pif Paf has been a leader in the humane handling of animals on farms and their journey to slaughter. Judith Magyar, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 The tortoises could live for months without food or water, so the sailors would fill their ship hulls with live tortoises, then slaughter them along the way for fresh meat, Jensen said. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 10 June 2022 Across the galaxy, the Empire continues to root out the Jedi, slaughter them, crush all opposition. Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 1 June 2022 Rising prices aren’t offsetting costs, likely prompting farmers to slaughter animals earlier than usual. Megan Durisin, Jen Skerritt, Michael Hirtzer, Anchorage Daily News, 21 May 2022 That is also where the suspect, before setting out to slaughter Black shoppers in Buffalo, posted a 180-page compendium of racist arguments and internet memes. New York Times, 15 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse slātra to slaughter; akin to Old English sleaht slaughter, slēan to slay — more at slay
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing slaughter
Kids Definition
slaughter 1 of 2
noun
slaugh·ter ˈslȯ-tər
1
: the act of killing
2
: the act of killing and preparing animals for food
3
: destruction of many lives especially in battle
slaughter
2 of 2verb
slaughtered; slaughtering
1
: butcher entry 2 sense 1
2
: massacre entry 2
slaughtered
verb
as in massacred
to kill on a large scale modern poultry farms slaughter a vast number of chickens every day Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- massacred
- murdered
- butchered
- assassinated
- executed
- destroyed
- dispatched
- slew
- exterminated
- snuffed
- decimated
- eradicated
- demolished
- smote
- mowed (down)
- annihilated
- wiped out
- felled
- wasted
- devastated
- blotted out
- croaked
- did in
