massacre

[mas-uh-ker]

noun

1. 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: genocide, butchery, extermination, carnage

2. a general slaughter, as of persons or animals.

   the massacre of millions during the war.

   Synonyms: genocide, butchery, extermination, carnage

3. Informal.,  a crushing defeat, especially in sports.

verb (used with object)

massacred, massacring 

1. to kill unnecessarily and indiscriminately, especially a large number of persons.

   Synonyms: slay

2. Informal.,  to defeat decisively, especially in sports.

massacre

/ ˈmæsəkə, ˈmæsəkrə /

noun

1. the wanton or savage killing of large numbers of people, as in battle

2. informal,  an overwhelming defeat, as in a game

verb

1. to kill indiscriminately or in large numbers

2. informal,  to defeat overwhelmingly

Other Word Forms

• massacrer noun
• unmassacred adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of massacre¹

First recorded in 1575–85; (noun), from Middle French massacre, noun derivative of massacrer, Old French maçacrer, macecler, probably from unattested Vulgar Latin matteūcculāre, verbal derivative of unattested matteūca “mallet” ( mashie, mace ¹ ); (verb) from Middle French massacrer

Word History and Origins

Origin of massacre¹

C16: from Old French, of unknown origin

Synonym Study

See slaughter.

Example Sentences

Mr. Sharaa’s tensions with the minorities escalated into massacres of Druze and Alawites, with government forces killing more than a thousand people in each community.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The first trial of more than a dozen suspects linked to massacres that left hundreds dead in Syria's Alawite coastal heartland earlier this year began on Tuesday, an AFP journalist in the courtroom said.

Read more on Barron's

The U.S. and Ecuador have designated the Wolves as a terrorist organization, whose thousands of members are allegedly responsible for car bombings, prison massacres and political assassinations.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The killing of Safa's family was part of what became known as the Haditha massacre, when US marines killed 24 Iraqi civilians, including four women and six children.

Read more on BBC

In what Mr. Hoyos calls “an amoral act of public policy,” Scipio massacred the townspeople of Ilugo for killing survivors of his father’s and uncle’s defeats who had sought refuge there five years earlier.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• assassination 
• bloodbath 
• bloodshed 
• carnage 
• extermination www.thesaurus.com
• genocide 
• murder 
• slaughter 
• slaying www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

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.