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massacre
[ mas-uh-ker ]
noun
- the unnecessary, indiscriminate killing of a large number of human beings or animals, as in barbarous warfare or persecution or for revenge or plunder.
Synonyms: extermination, genocide, butchery, carnage
- a general slaughter, as of persons or animals:
the massacre of millions during the war.
Synonyms: extermination, genocide, butchery, carnage
- Informal. a crushing defeat, especially in sports.
verb (used with object)
- to kill unnecessarily and indiscriminately, especially a large number of persons.
Synonyms: slay
- Informal. to defeat decisively, especially in sports.
massacre
/ ˈmæsəkə; ˈmæsəkrə /
noun
- the wanton or savage killing of large numbers of people, as in battle
- informal.an overwhelming defeat, as in a game
verb
- to kill indiscriminately or in large numbers
- informal.to defeat overwhelmingly
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Derived Forms
- massacrer, noun
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Other Words From
- massa·crer [mas, -, uh, -krer], noun
- un·massa·cred adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of massacre1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of massacre1
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Synonym Study
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Example Sentences
God was in the room when you made a massacre out of someone’s child.
He also worked on an unsuccessful 2003 lawsuit stemming from the massacre.
Once he first learned about the massacre, Solomon-Simmons wanted to spread the word as widely as possible.
Like many other race riots and massacres in the South and in Florida, once the events left the front page of the newspapers, they were buried.
At Republicans’ convention in Cleveland in 2016, one month after the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, this president showed he could say “LGBT.”
The massacre of cartoonists at the French magazine Charlie Hebdo is a crystallizing moment.
Several Muslim sites in France, including mosques have been attacked or vandalized since the Charlie Hebdo massacre.
What often is forgotten—and what Beck could probably stand to remember—is that the massacre was, technically, a firefight.
Nearly two full months have passed since the student massacre that took place in the city of Iguala, Guerrero.
Will “loyalty cards” be enough to stave of a Republican massacre of House Democrats on Tuesday?
Those who escaped the massacre were hung upon the same trees on which the Frenchmen had previously been hung.
There was the usual massacre, but this time the trees were cut down and the wells choked up.
The sight of the awful carnage affected even the warworn Marshal, and made him exclaim, "What a massacre!"
Native rumors had brought the news of the massacre at Cawnpore, though the ghastly tragedy of the Well was yet to come.
It was during his reign that the fatal massacre of St. Bartholomews took place, which renders his name odious.
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Related Words
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About This Word
What does massacre mean?
A massacre is a large-scale killing of people or animals, especially defenseless ones.
The word implies that such a killing was especially unnecessary, brutal, and indiscriminate. An event in which soldiers kill many civilians could be called a massacre. Mass shootings are massacres.
Massacre can also be used in a more general way to refer to killing on a large-scale, as in This war will result in the massacre of millions.
Massacre can also be used as a verb in both of these senses, as in The flock was massacred by the pack of wolves.
Massacre is also used figuratively as a noun and a verb in the context of a decisive defeat, especially a one-sided sporting event, as in It was a massacre—we lost 12-0.
Example: Every day, the news tells us of yet another massacre of innocent people by a person with a gun.
Where does massacre come from?
The first records of the word massacre come from around 1580. It comes from the Middle French verb massacrer. It may ultimately derive from the Vulgar Latin matteūca, meaning “mallet,” but its origin is uncertain.
When referring to a violent event, the word massacre is most often used in reference to war. In particular, it is used to refer to events in which soldiers are killing not just other soldiers but also civilians. In the United States, the word massacre has been used in reference to historic events that include violent killings of defenseless victims. For example, during the Boston Massacre of 1770, British soldiers fired on a crowd of colonists, killing five. Other events labeled massacres often involve the killing of many more people—thousands or even millions.
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How is massacre used in real life?
Massacre is often used in the context of violent events, but it’s commonly used in a figurative way, especially in the context of sports.
“This was a massacre. Nine people died on that day. Six of them were children.”
A Sky News investigation has discovered evidence of a recent potential war crime in northern Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition, which is backed by the US and Britain
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 27, 2020
Wounded Knee was a massacre of hundreds of defenseless Native men, women, and children at the hands of U.S. soldiers. We must take steps to address this horrific injustice. Today, I am proud to join my colleagues on a bill to revoke Medals of Honor awarded for Wounded Knee.
— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) November 28, 2019
The Patriots massacre of the Colts on Sunday is going to be such a bloodbath that the NFL might have to move the game to HBO. Not for cable.
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) October 12, 2015
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