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lynch

[ linch ]
/ lɪntʃ /
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verb (used with object)
to put to death, especially by hanging, by mob action and without legal authority: In the 19th and 20th centuries, thousands of southern African Americans were lynched by white mobs.
to criticize, condemn, etc., in public: He’s been unfairly lynched in the media.
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Origin of lynch

An Americanism first recorded in 1825–35; verb use of lynch in lynch law

synonym study for lynch

See hang.

OTHER WORDS FROM lynch

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lynch

hang, lynch (see synonym study at hang)

Other definitions for lynch (2 of 2)

Lynch
[ linch ]
/ lɪntʃ /

noun
John "Jack", 1917–1999, Irish political leader: prime minister 1966–73, 1977–79.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lynch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lynch (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 of lynch

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 lynch (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
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