slaughter

[slaw-ter]

See more synonyms for slaughter on Thesaurus.com

noun

the killing or butchering of cattle, sheep, etc., especially for food.
the brutal or violent killing of a person.
the killing of great numbers of people or animals indiscriminately; carnage: the slaughter of war.

verb (used with object)

to kill or butcher (animals), especially for food.
to kill in a brutal or violent manner.
to slay in great numbers; massacre.
Informal. to defeat thoroughly; trounce: They slaughtered our team.

Origin of slaughter

1250–1300; Middle English slaghter, slahter, slauther (noun) < Old Norse slātr, earlier slāttr, slahtr

Related formsslaugh·ter·er, nounslaugh·ter·ing·ly, adverbun·slaugh·tered, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for slaughter on Thesaurus.com

2. murder. 4–6. 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for slaughtered

Contemporary Examples

We are just coming off the midterm elections, too, where the Democrats got slaughtered.
Jon Stewart Talks ‘Rosewater’ and the ‘Chickensh-t’ Democrats’ Midterm Massacre
Marlow Stern
November 9, 2014
Assad, for his part, has slaughtered hundreds of thousands of his own people, most likely with little regard for their dignity.
Rand Paul Channels Malala to Bash Obama
Olivia Nuzzi
October 23, 2014
Or the Hutus who slaughtered their way through 800,000 Tutsis over the course of three months?
ISIS and BS
Amal Ghandour
October 15, 2014
Last month, dozens were abducted and slaughtered—by the police.
Anatomy of a Mexican Student Massacre
Jason McGahan
October 8, 2014
A war in which Syrians have been slaughtered daily for years and the last images of Americans ended with their beheading.
The U.S. Veteran and Wisconsin Boy Who Went to Fight ISIS in Syria
Jacob Siegel
October 3, 2014

Historical Examples

A lamb was slaughtered, green peas were picked, and a plum-pudding made.
The Bay State Monthly, Vol. 1, Issue 1.
Various
On kin of Cain was the killing avenged by sovran God for slaughtered Abel.
Beowulf
Anonymous
(p. 228) God have mercy on this wronged and slaughtered people.
Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863
Adam Gurowski
The stranger with the crimson robe pursued, And slaughtered with axes and blades.
Y Gododin
Aneurin
The Artaud butcher had just slaughtered Matthew, the pig, in the shed.
Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for slaughtered

slaughter

noun

the killing of animals, esp for food
the savage killing of a person
the indiscriminate or brutal killing of large numbers of people, as in war; massacre
informal a resounding defeat

verb (tr)

to kill (animals), esp for food
to kill in a brutal manner
to kill indiscriminately or in large numbers
informal to defeat resoundingly

Derived Formsslaughterer, nounslaughterous, adjective

Word Origin

Old English sleaht; related to Old Norse slāttar hammering, slātr butchered meat, Old High German slahta, Gothic slauhts, German Schlacht battle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for slaughtered

slaughter

n.

c.1300, "killing of a cattle or sheep for food, killing of a person," from a Scandinavian *slahtr, akin to Old Norse slatr "a butchering, butcher meat," slatra "to slaughter," slattr "a mowing" from Proto-Germanic *slukhtis, related to Old Norse sla "to strike" (see slay (v.)) + formative suffix (cf. laugh/laughter). Meaning "killing of a large number of persons in battle" is attested from mid-14c. Old English had slieht "stroke, slaughter, murder, death; animals for slaughter;" cf. sliehtswyn "pig for killing."

slaughter

v.

1530s, "butcher an animal for market," from slaughter (n.). Meaning "slay wantonly, ruthlessly, or in great numbers" is from 1580s. Related: Slaughtered; slaughtering.

Idioms and Phrases with slaughtered

slaughter

see like a lamb to the slaughter.

slaughter

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Synonyms

Examples from the Web for slaughtered

Contemporary Examples

We are just coming off the midterm elections, too, where the Democrats got slaughtered.

Assad, for his part, has slaughtered hundreds of thousands of his own people, most likely with little regard for their dignity.

Or the Hutus who slaughtered their way through 800,000 Tutsis over the course of three months?

Last month, dozens were abducted and slaughtered—by the police.

A war in which Syrians have been slaughtered daily for years and the last images of Americans ended with their beheading.

Historical Examples

A lamb was slaughtered, green peas were picked, and a plum-pudding made.

On kin of Cain was the killing avenged by sovran God for slaughtered Abel.

(p. 228) God have mercy on this wronged and slaughtered people.

The stranger with the crimson robe pursued, And slaughtered with axes and blades.

The Artaud butcher had just slaughtered Matthew, the pig, in the shed.

slaughter

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for slaughtered

slaughter

n.

slaughter

v.

Idioms and Phrases with slaughtered

slaughter

Origin of slaughter