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 ClemowExamples 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
Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
Kent State is an empathetic, politically dispassionate look at that massacre in the spring of 1970.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 21 July 2025
Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 10 July 2025
Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, and massacred over 1,200 people, including Americans.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for massacre
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Noun
Macron's move brings to a head months of increasing French criticism of Israel's conduct in its war against Hamas—the Islamist militant group that rules Gaza—that was sparked by the October 7, 2023, massacre of civilians in Israel.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
Kent State is an empathetic, politically dispassionate look at that massacre in the spring of 1970.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 21 July 2025
Verb
On June 13, about 200 Christians were massacred by a group of jihadists in Yelwata, a town located in Benue State, which is almost entirely Christian.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 10 July 2025
Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, and massacred over 1,200 people, including Americans.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for massacre
Cite this Entry
“Massacre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/massacre. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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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