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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Discover More

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

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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

See Examples For:

pogrom

The Farhud, the 1941 pogrom in Baghdad, for instance, began the end of a 2,600-year-old community.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

The term "pogrom" refers to violent attacks against Jews because of their religion.

From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026

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

The United States condemned the events, which a State Department spokesperson said had "looked like a pogrom."

From Reuters ● Oct. 30, 2023

The reason that no joint protest was issued by the Confessing Church after the pogrom of November, 1938. was that the Confessing Church as an organization was under strong pressure at the time.

From The Grey Book by Johan Martinus Snoek

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Related Words

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

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