butchery
Americannoun
plural
butcheries-
a slaughterhouse.
-
brutal or wanton slaughter of animals or humans; carnage.
-
the trade or business of a butcher.
-
the act of bungling or botching.
noun
-
the business or work of a butcher
-
wanton and indiscriminate slaughter; carnage
-
a less common word for slaughterhouse
Etymology
Origin of butchery
1300–50; Middle English bocherie < Anglo-French, Middle French boucherie. See butcher, -y 3
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.
Kakuta's restaurant has its own butchery, supplying bear meat dishes to a nearby hotel.
From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025
The butchery signal is clear as well:"At Namorotukunan, cutmarks link stone tools to meat eating, revealing a broadened diet that endured across changing landscapes," said Frances Forrest at Fairfield University.
From Science Daily • Nov. 4, 2025
The building’s large main kitchen accommodates multiple classes, among them production baking and butchery.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2025
It was there that I came to see the possibilities in a robust whole-animal butchery program and a more radical approach to sourcing ingredients.
From Salon • Feb. 4, 2025
“This we have heard. And yet Your Radiance has found the courage to answer butchery with mercy. You have not harmed any of the noble children you hold as hostage.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
