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
Synonyms
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
Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
The measure’s passage would shut down a lamb slaughter plant that butchers up to 500,000 lambs per year, accounting for between 15 and 20 percent of all US lamb meat.
—Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 10 Oct. 2024
CBS News, 31 Oct. 2024
When an intruder slaughters Alex’s family before running off into the night with her, Marie sets off to retrieve her friend.
—Meagan Navarro, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for slaughter 
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Noun
Advertisement In both states, there are exemptions for lactating dairy cattle destined for slaughter.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
The measure’s passage would shut down a lamb slaughter plant that butchers up to 500,000 lambs per year, accounting for between 15 and 20 percent of all US lamb meat.
—Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 10 Oct. 2024
Verb
Framed by heavily armed Mexican authorities, relatives of the LeBaron family mourn at the site where nine U.S. citizens, three women and six children related to the extended LeBaron family, were slaughtered along a dirt road near Bavispe, at the Sonora-Chihuahua border, Mexico, Nov 6, 2019.
—CBS News, 31 Oct. 2024
When an intruder slaughters Alex’s family before running off into the night with her, Marie sets off to retrieve her friend.
—Meagan Navarro, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for slaughter
Dictionary Entries Near slaughter
Cite this Entry
“Slaughter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slaughter. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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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