pogrom

American  

[puh-gruhm, -grom, poh-] / pəˈgrʌm, -ˈgrɒm, poʊ- /

noun

1. an organized massacre, especially of Jews.

   Synonyms:

   butchery, slaughter

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pogrom British  

/ ˈpɒɡrəm /

noun

1. an organized persecution or extermination of an ethnic group, esp of Jews

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pogrom Cultural  

1. A massacre or persecution instigated by the government or by the ruling class against a minority group, particularly Jews (see also Jews).

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Pogroms were common in Russia during the nineteenth century.

Etymology

Origin of pogrom

1880–85; (< Yiddish ) < Russian pogróm literally, destruction, devastation (of a town, country, etc., as in war), noun derivative of pogromít’, equivalent to po- perfective prefix + gromít’ to destroy, devastate, derivative of grom thunder

Explanation

The organized destruction of an ethnic group is called a pogrom. The word comes to English via the similar Yiddish and Russian words; pogrom literally means "devastation." In many Russian pogroms in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the mob attacked Jews — burning their homes and synagogues. Thousands of Jews were killed during these attacks, and many more fled them by emigrating to other countries, including the United States. Pogroms against Jews occurred in countries other than Russia, including Argentina, Romania, Poland, and Libya. Other ethnic groups, including Armenians, were also the target of pogroms in the early twentieth century.

Example Sentences

"We thought we were safe. Our grandparents and great grandparents -- Holocaust survivors -- many of them came to here to escape hate and to escape bloodshed, pogrom, persecution," he said.

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

Shlomo Mansour was born in Baghdad and as a child survived the Farhud pogrom against the Iraqi capital's Jewish community in 1941.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2025

As reports of antisemitism surge in Germany and elsewhere, commemorations of the Nazi pogrom Kristallnacht have taken on special resonance this year.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2023

"It pains me to say this just two days before the anniversary of Kristallnacht," said Felix Klein government commissioner for tackling antisemitism, referring to a 1938 pogrom.

From Reuters • Nov. 7, 2023

The ideal course to pursue would be, of course, to spank the serious-minded young men who think that the Russian novel is a cross between Nijinsky's dancing and a pogrom.

From The Circus, and Other Essays and Fugitive Pieces by Kilmer, Joyce

Related Words

• annihilation
• bloodbath
• bloodletting
• butchery
• carnage
• extermination
• genocide