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• holocaust
  holocaust

  noun

  a great or complete devastation or destruction, especially by fire.
• Holocaust
  Holocaust

  The killing of some six million Jews (see also Jews) by the Nazis during World War II. To the Nazis, the Holocaust was the “Final Solution” to the “Jewish problem,” and would help them establish a pure German master race. Much of the killing took place in concentration camps, such as Auschwitz and Dachau. (See Adolf Eichmann and Heinrich Himmler.)

holocaust

American  

[hol-uh-kawst, hoh-luh-] / ˈhɒl əˌkɔst, ˈhoʊ lə- /

noun

holocausts plural

1. a great or complete devastation or destruction, especially by fire.

   Synonyms:

   ravage, havoc, ruin, conflagration, inferno

2. a sacrifice completely consumed by fire; burnt offering.

3. Usually the Holocaust the systematic mass slaughter of European Jews in Nazi concentration camps during World War II.

4. any mass slaughter or reckless destruction of life.

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holocaust British  

/ ˈhɒləˌkɔːst /

noun

1. great destruction or loss of life or the source of such destruction, esp fire

2. Also called: the Churban.   the Shoah.  (usually capital) the mass murder of Jews and members of many other ethnic, social, and political groups in continental Europe between 1940 and 1945 by the Nazi regime

3. a rare word for burnt offering

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Holocaust Cultural  

1. The killing of some six million Jews (see also Jews) by the Nazis during World War II. To the Nazis, the Holocaust was the “Final Solution” to the “Jewish problem,” and would help them establish a pure German master race. Much of the killing took place in concentration camps, such as Auschwitz and Dachau. (See Adolf Eichmann and Heinrich Himmler.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• holocaustal
  adjective
• holocaustic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• holocausts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of holocaust

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Late Latin holocaustum (Vulgate), from Greek holókauston (Septuagint), neuter of holókaustos “burnt whole”; see holo-, caustic

Explanation

The noun holocaust means "total destruction." However, this word has become inextricably connected with World War II and the mass murder of Jews by the Nazis (in this usage, Holocaust is capitalized). When holocaust entered the English language in the thirteenth century, it referred to burnt offerings described in the Old Testament. The original Greek word meant "burnt whole" (note the relationship to the word caustic). Since at least 1942, though, the word is most often used to describe the extermination of Jews by the Nazis. Some people object to the religious connotations of the word, though, preferring to use the Hebrew Shoah (catastrophe) instead.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

holocaust Holocaust holocausts

Alexander Kleytman was a holocaust survivor who came to Australia from Ukraine.

From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2025

In the 1950s, it was a nuclear holocaust and in the 1960s a population bomb and deforestation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025

His social commentary encompassed war, protests, ghetto life, police brutality, pollution, and nuclear holocaust.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025

It is the 37th film in the film series, which usually uses Godzilla as a sober symbol of nuclear holocaust and atomic trauma.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2024

White people were, and are, astounded by the holocaust in Germany.

From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin

The 70-year-old plays up her personal story as the daughter of Jewish parents who she says "barely survived" the Holocaust before emigrating to Costa Rica.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

“Senator Lindsey Graham worked to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust would be taught to every new generation,” Simony said in a statement to Salon.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

“When people here learn about the Holocaust, it’s not like when others learn about antiquity or ancient Egypt. It’s not just about history, it’s about creating a collective identity that itself creates a collective responsibility.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

A driving force behind building the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, Pritzker’s ancestors fled Russian persecution in modern-day Ukraine in the late 1800s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

After the movie, we headed to the Century City Marriott Hotel to have a reception for Holocaust survivors and ourselves.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

There can be no more holocausts; no more genocides; no more Stalinist gulags.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 14, 2019

Not only are adults guilty of perpetrating the worst of human sins—wars, holocausts, famines—we over-25s aren’t always all that great at other supposedly “adult” activities, like thinking ahead and extending empathy to others.

From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2018

“We have to be aware of the fact that holocausts are still going on and that we must do our part to protect people from genocide,” he said.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 27, 2018

Sikhs have survived multiple holocausts, and served alongside allies in WWI and II.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2012

Far down on the dry bed of the river the chestnut-roasters danced like demons about their holocausts.

From Glories of Spain by Wood, Charles W. (William)

Related Words

• immolation
• inferno