mas·sa·cre
ˈma-si-kər 
1
: the act or an instance of killing a number of usually helpless or unresisting human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty
witnessed the massacre of a boatload of refugees
2
: a cruel or wanton (see wanton entry 1 sense 1a) murder
3
: a wholesale slaughter of animals
Residents engaged in a citywide cat massacre.
4
: an act of complete destruction
the author's massacre of traditional federalist presuppositions—
R. G. McCloskey
R. G. McCloskeythe Puritan massacre of statues and pictures—Robert Hughes
Robert Hughes
massacred; massacring
ˈma-si-k(ə-)riŋ
1
: to kill by massacre
2
: mangle sense 2
words were misspelled and syntax massacred—Bice Clemow
Bice ClemowSynonyms
Examples of massacre in a Sentence
Noun
The game turned out to be a complete massacre.
the infamous massacre of more than 200 Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota
Verb
Hundreds have been massacred in the uprising.
The other team really massacred us on Saturday.
He really massacred that song.
Recent Examples on the WebMohammad Al Sawalhi, CNN, 26 June 2024
The massacre shocked the international community, while highlighting humanity’s innate desire for liberty.
—Fox News, 25 June 2024
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 18 June 2024
Israel is massacring Palestinians — and undermining its own security in the process.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 28 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for massacre 
Noun
Scenes of ‘massacre’ at local hospitals The footage obtained by CNN from the area shows survivors clambering over rubble as missiles streak across the sky.
—Mohammad Al Sawalhi, CNN, 26 June 2024
The massacre shocked the international community, while highlighting humanity’s innate desire for liberty.
—Fox News, 25 June 2024
Verb
Though there is currently a lull in the coordinated attacks that blanketed the capital for nearly three months, over the weekend 11 people were massacred by members of an armed gang in a rural town north of Port-au-Prince in the Artibonite Valley.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 18 June 2024
Israel is massacring Palestinians — and undermining its own security in the process.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 28 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for massacre
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'massacre.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Massacre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/massacre. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
massacre
1 of 2 verb
mas·sa·cre
ˈmas-i-kər
massacred; massacring
-k(ə-)riŋ
: to kill in a massacre : slaughter
massacrer
noun
-i-kər-ər
-i-krər
massacre
2 of 2 noun
: the violent and cruel killing of a number of persons
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