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Synonyms

mass murder

American  
[mas mur-der] / ˈmæs ˈmɜr dər /

noun

  1. the act of killing a number of people in a single incident or over a short time period, involving more than two victims and typically a large number: The individual motives for mass murder vary greatly.

    He has written about mass murder by totalitarian regimes.

    The individual motives for mass murder vary greatly.

    The article is about five victims of a mass murder.

Etymology

Origin of mass murder

First recorded in 1915–20

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.

“Normally, I would agree that diplomacy is better than isolating an adversary,” Dr. Gregory H. Stanton, founding president of Genocide Watch, a group that aims to predict and punish targeted mass murder, told Salon.

From Salon • Jun. 12, 2025

The images provide a unique perspective on the Holocaust, chronicling S.S. officers going about their daily activities in a manner utterly divorced from the reality of the mass murder that was taking place nearby.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2025

Abdulbasset al Megrahi was jailed for life after being found guilty of mass murder by a Scottish court sitting in the neutral Netherlands.

From BBC • Sep. 12, 2024

Perhaps the lesson that Kissinger saw in the Holocaust was that mass murder during a geopolitical conflict was, if not quite forgivable, then eminently forgettable by those with the will to do so.

From Slate • Nov. 30, 2023

Thus the students already at risk, already suffering, have become suspects, linked in various thoughtless ways to mass murder and—consequently—more alienated than before.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.