slaughter
1 Americannoun
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the killing or butchering of cattle, sheep, etc., especially for food.
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the brutal or violent killing of a person.
- Synonyms:
- murder
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the killing of great numbers of people or animals indiscriminately; carnage.
the slaughter of war.
verb (used with object)
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to kill or butcher (animals), especially for food.
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to kill in a brutal or violent manner.
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to slay in great numbers; massacre.
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Informal. to defeat thoroughly; trounce.
They slaughtered our team.
noun
noun
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the killing of animals, esp for food
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the savage killing of a person
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the indiscriminate or brutal killing of large numbers of people, as in war; massacre
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informal a resounding defeat
verb
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to kill (animals), esp for food
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to kill in a brutal manner
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to kill indiscriminately or in large numbers
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informal to defeat resoundingly
Related Words
Slaughter, butcher, massacre all imply violent and bloody methods of killing. Slaughter and butcher, primarily referring to the killing of animals for food, are used also of the brutal or indiscriminate killing of human beings: to slaughter cattle; to butcher a hog. Massacre indicates a general slaughtering of helpless or unresisting victims: to massacre the peasants of a region.
Other Word Forms
- slaughterer noun
- slaughteringly adverb
- slaughterous adjective
- unslaughtered adjective
Etymology
Origin of slaughter
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English slaghter, slahter, slauther (noun), from Old Norse slātr, earlier slāttr, slahtr
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.
Mexico accounted for 3% to 4% of U.S. cattle slaughter in 2024.
From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026
Those who lived in the countryside were more likely to cherish memories of lard than olive oil; having a pig to slaughter could get a struggling family through the year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
I know a lot of headlines all week were we were lambs to the slaughter but we were quietly confident if we brought our best version we could challenge them.
From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026
The biggest mistake one could make in analyzing this corporate slaughter is to lay the blame solely on the state of journalism.
From Slate • Feb. 5, 2026
Tateh would take us there to slaughter the cows in the kosher faith I made it a point to go see them.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
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.
