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lynched; lynching; lynches
: to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal approval or permission
The accused killer was lynched by an angry mob.
lyncher
noun
Examples of lynch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the American Southwest, thousands of Mexican Americans were lynched from the end of the Mexican-American War through the early 20th century, in attacks aimed at instilling fear in a minority.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
Williams, acknowledged as the first NAACP member to be lynched, was not the last.
—Tracy Scott Forson, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024
And several students threatened to lynch him at a specific date and time, the lawsuit alleged.
—Ben Poston, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
Till, a Black 14-year-old boy, was kidnapped, beaten and lynched in Mississippi in August 1955 after being accused of whistling at a white woman.
—Deena Zaru, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near lynch
Cite this Entry
“Lynch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lynch. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
lynch
verb
: to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal authority
lyncher
noun
Legal Definition
lynch
transitive verb
: to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal sanction
lyncher
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on lynch
Nglish: Translation of lynch for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of lynch for Arabic Speakers
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