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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.

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lynchingLynching is the mob killing of a person suspected of a crime, especially by hanging, that is done outside of the law. Lynching is most commonly associated with the hanging death of black men by white people in the United States, especially in the Jim Crow South.
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RELATED WORDS

killer, garroter, strangler, executioner

Nearby words

  1. lymphotoxin,
  2. lymphotrophic,
  3. lynagh,
  4. lynbrook,
  5. lyncean,
  6. lynch law,
  7. lynch, jack,
  8. lynchburg,
  9. lynchet,
  10. lynching

Origin of lynch

1825–35, Americanism; v. use of lynch in lynch law
Related formslynch·er, nounan·ti·lynch·ing, adjective
Can be confusedhang 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

lynch

/ (lɪntʃ) /

verb

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

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
Word Origin and History for lyncher

lynch

v.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper