as in blunderer
someone who bungles an effort
the newest intern on the campaign is a butcher when it comes to writing press releases
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to slaughter
to kill on a large scale
the barbarians butchered the monks in the monasteries without mercy
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
the new piano student butchered the sonatina
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of butcher
Lindsey Tramuta, Bon Appétit, 20 Mar. 2025
Lore has it that New England butchers packed inexpensive cuts of meat into large barrels called butts for storage and transportation.
—Beth Dooley, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2025
Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025
The food: To butcher Orwell a little, the menu is a homage to Catalunya, and features classics like Segovian suckling pig, bombas, and avocado lobster roll.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butcher
Noun
The shop’s chicken is sourced from the same German butcher as Mustafa’s, a döner kebab institution in Berlin.
—Lindsey Tramuta, Bon Appétit, 20 Mar. 2025
Lore has it that New England butchers packed inexpensive cuts of meat into large barrels called butts for storage and transportation.
—Beth Dooley, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
While this technically isn't actually karaoke, this scene from 27 Dresses is worth an honorable mention for the epic singalong, as Heigl's Jane and Marsden's Kevin lead the fellow patrons into belting out and butchering the lyrics of the 1973 classic.
—Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025
The food: To butcher Orwell a little, the menu is a homage to Catalunya, and features classics like Segovian suckling pig, bombas, and avocado lobster roll.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butcher
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butcher
Verb
-
Instead, hundreds of Russian commandos were slaughtered at Moshchun by a ragged mix of Ukrainian troops, policemen, national guardsmen and regular civilians, some of them armed with nothing more than hand grenades and hunting rifles.—
Simon Shuster,
TIME,
24 Mar. 2025
-
Birds are dying off — or they're slaughtered — by the thousands.—
Suzy Khimm,
NBC news,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
During the Mets’ loss to the Marlins, Vientos was jogging to first base when Miami’s Graham Pauley fumbled the ball.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2025
-
The characters in Megan Howell’s short stories, which glide into scenes of magical realism, are lonely people facing the harsh realities of an often violent world and fumbling toward something more hopeful.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
April 17, 2025 The wind gusts could blow around unsecured objects and a few power outages may occur, the National Weather Service advised.—
Ashley Fredde,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Michael Dukakis’ response to a campaign debate question about his opposition to the death penalty, even if Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, was blamed as part of the reason for his loss.—
Bart Jansen,
USA TODAY,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, struggled with chronic back pain, according to news reports.—
Patrik Jonsson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
And while the all-female crew aboard the Blue Origin’s Spaceflight has been dubbed historic, King’s longtime best friend, Oprah Winfrey, got emotional during take off.—
Sara Vallone,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2025
-
For the sake of clarity, this collection focuses specifically on the PlayStation versions of both games dubbed Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete.—
David Jagneaux,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Their family of 11 is living in a tent alongside heaps of concrete and mangled steel that now lie where their home once stood.—
Jeremy Diamond,
CNN,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Images showed an uprooted tree smashed into a mobile home while mangled debris littered the streets.—
Christopher Cann,
USA TODAY,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Justin Champagnie hit a 3-pointer, the Heat had a backcourt violation and then Carrington ruined Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s 40-point game by dropping this dagger on him.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Ophiuchus got booted out despite the sun spending a long time within it from Nov. 29–Dec. 17 (commonly thought of as Sagittarius despite the sun being in that constellation from Dec. 17–Jan. 20.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
The Cubs added a run in the inning when third baseman Manny Machado booted Swanson’s grounder.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Butcher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butcher. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share