slasher

American  

[slash-er] / ˈslæʃ ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that slashes.

2. a person who criminally attacks others with a knife, razor, or the like.

3. a horror film depicting such a criminal and featuring gory special effects.

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slasher British  

/ ˈslæʃə /

noun

1. a person or thing that slashes

2. a wooden-handled cutting tool or tractor-drawn machine used for cutting scrub or undergrowth in the bush

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Etymology

Origin of slasher

First recorded in 1550–60; slash ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

And in came Lendeborg, a 6-foot-9 slasher from the University of Alabama at Birmingham who leveled up into a first-team All-American.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

"Scream 7," the latest installment in the 30-year-old slasher series featuring yet another Ghostface killer, held strong in second place at $17.3 million in the United States and Canada, according to Exhibitor Relations.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

“We’re asking people to empathize with a monster, with something that was the slasher in a slasher movie to some degree, decades ago.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2025

Hot on the heels of 28 Years Later comes I Know What You Did Last Summer, a sort-of-but-not-technically remake of the 1997 slasher classic.

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2025

He has the better jumper, but I’m the better slasher.

From "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander