butcher

American  

[booch-er] / ˈbʊtʃ ər /

noun

1. a retail or wholesale dealer in meat.

2. a person who slaughters certain animals, or who dresses the flesh of animals, fish, or poultry, for food or market.

3. a person guilty of brutal or indiscriminate slaughter or murder.

   Synonyms:

   cutthroat, killer

4. a vendor who hawks newspapers, candy, beverages, etc., as on a train, at a stadium, etc.

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verb (used with object)

1. to slaughter or dress (animals, fish, or poultry) for market.

2. to kill indiscriminately or brutally.

3. to bungle; botch.

   to butcher a job.

butcher British  

/ ˈbʊtʃə /

noun

1. a retailer of meat

2. a person who slaughters or dresses meat for market

3. an indiscriminate or brutal murderer

4. a person who destroys, ruins, or bungles something

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verb

1. to slaughter or dress (animals) for meat

2. to kill indiscriminately or brutally

3. to make a mess of; botch; ruin

Related Words

See slaughter.

Other Word Forms

• butcherer noun
• unbutchered adjective

Etymology

Origin of butcher

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bocher, from Anglo-French; Old French bo(u)chier, equivalent to bo(u)c “he-goat” (from unattested Gaulish bucco-; compare Old Irish boc, Welsh bwch; akin to buck ¹ ) + -ier -ier ² ( -er ² )

Explanation

The person whose job it is to cut up and sell meat is called a butcher. Your grandmother might go to the butcher once a week to buy pork chops. A butcher is an expert at preparing cuts of meat and poultry in a butcher shop or the meat section of a supermarket. You can also call a person whose job is slaughtering farm animals a butcher. Because this is a fairly bloody, gory occupation, the word is also used to mean a cruel, ruthless murderer. And when you really mess something up, you can also be said to butcher it — like the way you butchered that poem when you tried to recite it from memory.

Example Sentences

Gil was pouring money into the renovation, into things he probably shouldn’t have, putting extra-nice butcher block in the bathrooms.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

“I’m celebrating neither Nowruz nor Fitr this year,” said Hasan, a Tehran butcher who said he saw two-thirds of his revenue wiped out.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

"It's long hours being a butcher and I'd like to spend time with my family. I'm a bit apprehensive, but it's the right thing to do."

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

He recommends sourcing your short ribs from a local or specialty butcher shop as opposed to the grocery store.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026

The men next to the butcher harrumphed and walked away, while the blue-eyed man swung his bags around and left the store.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Related Words

• slaughter