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femicide

American  
[fem-uh-sahyd] / ˈfɛm əˌsaɪd /

noun

femicides plural
  1. the act of killing a woman, as by a domestic partner or a member of a criminal enterprise.

    The rate of femicide where there is drug trafficking is far greater than it is elsewhere.

  2. the deliberate, wanton violation and massacre of women and girls, as in a particular ethnic group by an invading army.

  3. a person who kills a woman.

    In certain countries, femicides appear to act with impunity.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of femicide

First recorded in 1820–30; feme + -i- + -cide

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.

See Examples For:

Deputies in the Italian parliament have voted unanimously to introduce the crime of femicide – the murder of a woman, motivated by gender – as a distinct law to be punished with a life sentence.

From BBC Nov. 25, 2025

Even those who approve of legislating against femicide agree that it must come with far broader measures against gender inequality.

From BBC Nov. 25, 2025

Two years on, MPs have voted for a law on femicide after a long and passionately debated session of parliament.

From BBC Nov. 25, 2025

The state prosecutor's office said it is investigating the crime as a femicide, meaning that it believes the crime was motivated by the fact the victim was a woman.

From BBC May 15, 2025

Among the issues that Mexican women face are femicide, or women killed because of their gender, a gender employment gap and inadequate policies guaranteeing sexual and reproductive rights.

From Seattle Times Jun. 3, 2024

While many are supportive, some worry that she is insufficiently committed to supporting feminist efforts to halt femicides.

From Salon Jul. 15, 2025

The fact that Mexico — where women didn’t have a constitutional right to vote until 1953 and which today struggles with femicides — could have a woman president might seem remarkable.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 15, 2023

Hundreds of women marched through Honduras' largest cities of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula on Wednesday with demands ranging from expanded reproductive rights to ending femicides, or the killing of women due to their gender.

From Reuters Mar. 9, 2023

Recently, though, he has spoken more about femicides, including the comments at daily news conferences.

From Seattle Times Dec. 27, 2022

BBC 100 Women spoke to three women who carry out detective work to identify femicides, and obtain justice for victims.

From BBC Mar. 7, 2022

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