slaughter
noun
the killing or butchering of cattle, sheep, etc., especially for food.
were slaughtering
-
past progressiveof slaughter.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Vendors were slaughtering and grilling bats, dogs, rats, crocodiles and snakes, and sanitary measures were scant.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2020
Where was America, wondered Hitchens, when Hutus were slaughtering Tutsis in Rwanda?
From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2016
Indeed, the Ottoman Empire demonstrated religious peace while Europeans were slaughtering each other over the nature of the host in communion.
From Time ● Jan. 14, 2016
Across the Rhine in Germany, farmers were slaughtering prized cattle for lack of fodder; in the Hesse area alone, drought damage was estimated at more than $400 million.
From Time Magazine Archive
Didn't they say at the prison that they were slaughtering the horses just for the meat, and that butter and eggs were worth their weight in gold?
From At the Fall of Port Arthur Or, A Young American in the Japanese Navy by Edward Stratemeyer
