slaughter
Use Slaughter in a sentence
tər noun
1.
the killing or butchering of cattle, sheep, etc., especially for food.
2.
the brutal or violent killing of a person.
3.
the killing of great numbers of people or animals indiscriminately; carnage: the slaughter of war.
verb (used with object)
4.
to kill or butcher (animals), especially for food.
5.
to kill in a brutal or violent manner.
6.
to slay in great numbers; massacre.
7.
Informal. to defeat thoroughly; trounce: They slaughtered our team.
00:10
Slaughter
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is fletcherise. Does it mean:
| to bark; yelp. |
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English slaghter, slahter, slauther (noun) < Old Norse slātr, earlier slāttr, slahtr
1250–1300; Middle English slaghter, slahter, slauther (noun) < Old Norse slātr, earlier slāttr, slahtr
Related forms
slaugh·ter·er, noun
slaugh·ter·ing·ly, adverb
un·slaugh·tered, adjective
Synonyms
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.
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 Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To slaughter
Collins
World English Dictionary
slaughter (ˈslɔːtə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | the killing of animals, esp for food |
| 2. | the savage killing of a person |
| 3. | the indiscriminate or brutal killing of large numbers of people, as in war; massacre |
| 4. | informal a resounding defeat |
| —vb | |
| 5. | to kill (animals), esp for food |
| 6. | to kill in a brutal manner |
| 7. | to kill indiscriminately or in large numbers |
| 8. | informal to defeat resoundingly |
| [Old English sleaht; related to Old Norse slāttar hammering, slātr butchered meat, Old High German slahta, Gothic slauhts, German Schlacht battle] | |
| 'slaughterer | |
| —n | |
| 'slaughterous | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
slaughter
c.1300, "killing of a cattle or sheep for food, killing of a person," from O.N. *slahtr, akin to slatr "a butchering, butcher meat," slatra "to slaughter," and slattr "a mowing;" related to sla "to strike" (see slay), from P.Gmc. *slukhtis. Meaning "killing of a large number
of persons in battle" is attested from mid-14c. The verb is from 1530s. Slaughter-house is from late 14c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
murder definitionand slaughter
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences from the web
Slaughter of livestock slaughter was an early target for legislation.
Campaigns continue to target halal and kosher religious ritual slaughter.
These texts strongly condemn the slaughter of animals and meat eating.
Idioms & Phrases
Nearby Words
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