bloodbath
Americannoun
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a ruthless slaughter of a great number of people; massacre.
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Informal. a period of disastrous loss or reversal.
A few mutual funds performed well in the general bloodbath of the stock market.
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a widespread dismissal or purge, as of employees.
Etymology
Origin of bloodbath
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"The aim was to avoid a bloodbath and bring the actors back to reason," a senior Vatican source said.
From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026
Faced with the prospect of intervention becoming full-scale war, and under strong domestic popular pressure to avoid any such bloodbath, Ecowas leaders backed off - opting to rely on sanctions.
From BBC • Dec. 9, 2025
After another wild rivalry weekend, the Southeastern Conference reached the end of its bloodbath of a regular season without a single unbeaten team.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025
“Sinners” transforms mid-film to become a vampire bloodbath, while the words “demon hunters” are right there in the other movie’s title.
From Salon • Jul. 11, 2025
While one might expect such an edict to produce a bloodbath, very few gleanings ever took place.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
