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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:

They also want the offence of "femicide" to be brought into the penal code.

From BBC Mar. 24, 2026

There is no agreed worldwide definition of femicide, which makes it hard to count and compare statistics.

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

She acknowledged that her often “desperately sad” project took an emotional toll on her “as it would anyone really” but said she was driven by wanting to “change the narrative” around femicide.

From BBC Aug. 17, 2024

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

In December, hundreds of women protesting against a recent wave of femicides took to the streets of the capital, Nairobi.

From BBC Jan. 22, 2025

The new law expands protections for women at risk to prevent more serious violence and stem a wave of femicides which have sparked outrage across the country.

From Reuters Nov. 22, 2023

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

Nine of Mexico’s 2,446 municipalities, including Ecatepec, accounted for 13% of femicides nationally, through September.

From Seattle Times Dec. 27, 2022

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