massacre

1 of 2

noun

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

the Puritan massacre of statues and pictures

—Robert Hughes

massacre

2 of 2

verb

massacred; massacring ˈma-si-k(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to kill by massacre

2

: mangle sense 2

words were misspelled and syntax massacred

—Bice Clemow

massacrer

ˈma-si-kər-ər 

-krər

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• bloodbath
• butchery
• carnage
• death
• holocaust
• slaughter

Verb

• butcher
• mow (down)
• slaughter

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 Web

Noun

The slow-walk destruction of Native Americans, Los Angeles’ 1871 Chinese massacre and the marginalizing and demonizing of Latinos and Asians don’t square with the kumbaya California vibe. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024

Charlotte City Council member and former state senator Malcolm Graham is releasing a book about the 2015 massacre at Mother Emanuel AME Church. —Alexandria Sands, Axios, 19 Dec. 2024

Verb

But his most prominent role as the patriarch of the Wagner family was as the alleged author of the plot to massacre a neighboring family. —Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024

Hamas invaded Israel, massacring some twelve hundred people and kidnapping two hundred and fifty more. —Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle French

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

massacre

1 of 2 verb

mas·​sa·​cre ˈmas-i-kər 

massacred; massacring

-k(ə-)riŋ

: to kill in a massacre : slaughter

massacrer

-i-kər-ər

-i-krər

noun

massacre

2 of 2 noun

: the violent and cruel killing of a number of persons