butchery

[ booch-uh-ree ]

/ ˈbʊtʃ ə ri /

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See synonyms for butchery on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural butch·er·ies.

a slaughterhouse.

brutal or wanton slaughter of animals or humans; carnage.

the trade or business of a butcher.

the act of bungling or botching.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of butchery

1300–50; Middle English bocherie<Anglo-French, Middle French boucherie.See butcher, -y³

Words nearby butchery

butcher paper, butcher's, butcher's-broom, butcher shop, butcher's saw, butchery, butch haircut, butchy, bute, Butenandt, butene

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use butchery in a sentence

In the 1980s, archaeologists started finding butchery marks on fossil bones in East Africa, and going, okay, early humans were eating these animals.
Eating meat may not have been as crucial to human evolution as we thought|Philip Kiefer|January 24, 2022|Popular-Science
Much of this work has focused on reconstructing ecology and behavior of these peoples by studying their patterns of hunting and butchery as well as analyzing the mobility of their prey species through isotopic analysis.
The Beloved Mesolithic Girl - Issue 109: Excavation|Jamie Hodgkins|December 15, 2021|Nautilus
Poultry shears can also be useful for quick, efficient butchery.
Optimal Grilling Accessories and Grilling Tools For The Best Backyard BBQ|Irena Collaku|June 25, 2021|Popular-Science
Somerville will next determine whether other animal bones from the ancient sediment display butchery marks, breaks where marrow was removed or burned patches from cooking.
New clues suggest people reached the Americas around 30,000 years ago|Bruce Bower|June 9, 2021|Science News

Eggshells lay among numerous animal bones, some of which displayed possible butchery marks and signs of burning.
Stone Age culture bloomed inland, not just along Africa’s coasts|Bruce Bower|March 31, 2021|Science News
He was the first diplomat on the scene to witness the butchery in Sabra and Shatila in September 1982.
30 Years After the Beirut Bombing We Have Learned Nothing|Christopher Dickey|October 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
At best, he and other dictators will draw the lesson that they need to commit their butchery in other ways.
Obama Decision on Syria Good for U.S Democracy, but His Case Is Weak|Peter Beinart|September 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Daily Beast: In the 1920s, Chaim Soutine riffed on Rembrandt's butchery.
Oil Paint, Dry-Aged and Beefy|Blake Gopnik|June 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
None of which would pardon nor condone the butchery he is said to have unleashed.
Michael Ware on Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, Accused of Killing Afghan Civilians|Michael Ware|March 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Women are taking butchery classes and embracing the new compassionate meat-eating ethos.
Women Who Eat Meat|Laura Fraser|April 2, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The Seneschal turned to her again with his unanswered questions touching the end of that butchery above-stairs.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
To be sure, he might kill the dog with the hatchet, but such butchery was repugnant to him, and he quickly dismissed the idea.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
The warmth of the flowing blood and the site of the shocking butchery made Fergan reel with dizziness.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman|Eugne Sue
Prison after prison was invested, entered, and under the same form of proceeding made the scene of the same inhuman butchery.
Fox's Book of Martyrs|John Foxe
The whole sight was a good deal like butchery, and Colin felt a little uncomfortable.
The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries|Francis Rolt-Wheeler

British Dictionary definitions for butchery

butchery

/ (ˈbʊtʃərɪ) /

noun plural -eries

the business or work of a butcher

wanton and indiscriminate slaughter; carnage

a less common word for slaughterhouse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

butchery

Origin of butchery

Words nearby butchery

Words related to butchery

How to use butchery in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for butchery