1
: the act of killing
specifically
: the butchering of livestock for market
2
: killing of great numbers of human beings (as in battle or a massacre) : carnage
slaughtered; slaughtering; slaughters
1
: to kill (animals) for food : butcher
3
: to discredit, defeat, or demolish completely
Examples of slaughter in a Sentence
Noun
the slaughter of innocent people
all civilized nations should protest this senseless slaughter
Verb
Our team got slaughtered yesterday.
modern poultry farms slaughter a vast number of chickens every day
Recent Examples on the Web
Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 23 May 2025
He was made to watch what Trump took to be evidence that the South African government was presiding over the slaughter of white Afrikaners.
—Jonny Steinberg, Time, 22 May 2025
Don Riddell, CNN Money, 23 May 2025
Another turning point: After a deliberate Russian missile strike slaughtered nine children in a playground in Zelenskyy’s hometown, Trump officialdom decided the formal condolence note sent by the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv should not blame Russia for the attack.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for slaughter
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Noun
Criticism over big business moves In the decades that followed, Ramaphosa went from a union leader to a corporate board member implicated in stoking the slaughter of striking workers.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 23 May 2025
He was made to watch what Trump took to be evidence that the South African government was presiding over the slaughter of white Afrikaners.
—Jonny Steinberg, Time, 22 May 2025
Verb
In what remains the deadliest mass shooting at a US K-12 school, 20 students aged 6 and 7 years old, and six staff members, had been slaughtered in their classrooms.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 23 May 2025
Another turning point: After a deliberate Russian missile strike slaughtered nine children in a playground in Zelenskyy’s hometown, Trump officialdom decided the formal condolence note sent by the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv should not blame Russia for the attack.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for slaughter
Cite this Entry
“Slaughter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slaughter. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slaughter
1 of 2 noun
slaugh·ter
ˈslȯt-ər 
1
: the act of killing
especially
: the butchering of livestock for market
2
: destruction of human lives in large numbers (as in war or a massacre)
slaughter
2 of 2 verbLove words? Need even more definitions?
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