definitions

lynch

[ linch ]
/ lɪntʃ /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lynch ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to put to death, especially by hanging, by mob action and without legal authority.

RELATED CONTENT

The Real Meanings Behind These Popular Celebrity NicknamesFrom singers and presidents to b-ball players and tech moguls, all kinds of celebs have nicknames ... some of which have trickled down into our everyday vocabulary, too.
READ MORE
Dinger And Other Trending Words On Dictionary.comFrom the diamond to the big screen to the Beltway, here's a look at what sent folks scurrying to Dictionary.com this week!
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

killer, garroter, strangler, executioner

Nearby words

lymphotoxin, lymphotrophic, lynagh, lynbrook, lyncean, lynch, lynch law, lynchburg, lynchet, lynchpin, lynd

Origin of lynch

1825–35, Americanism; v. use of lynch in lynch law

Related forms

lynch·er, nounan·ti·lynch·ing, adjective

Can be confused

hang lynch (see synonym study at hang)

Synonym study

See hang.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lyncher

  • "This isn't Arizona or any other lyncher's country," said Halliday, the lawyer, making his way to the front.

    The World For Sale, Complete|Gilbert Parker

  • They say the lyncher knows that he is wrong and has been told so often enough.

    The Soul of John Brown|Stephen Graham

British Dictionary definitions for lyncher (1 of 2)

lynch

/ (lɪntʃ) /

verb

(tr) (of a mob) to punish (a person) for some supposed offence by hanging without a trial

Derived Forms

lyncher, nounlynching, noun

Word Origin for lynch

probably after Charles Lynch (1736–96), Virginia justice of the peace, who presided over extralegal trials of Tories during the American War of Independence

British Dictionary definitions for lyncher (2 of 2)

Lynch

/ (lɪntʃ) /

noun

David. born 1946, US film director; his work includes the films Eraserhead (1977), Blue Velvet (1986), Wild at Heart (1990), Mulholland Drive (2001), and Inland Empire (2006), and the television series Twin Peaks (1990)
John, known as Jack Lynch. 1917–99, Irish statesman; prime minister of the Republic of Ireland (1966–73; 1977–79)
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