as in slaughter
the killing of a large number of people
the infamous massacre of more than 200 Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota
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as in to slaughter
to kill on a large scale
the country's rival ethnic groups began massacring one another
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Recent Examples of massacre
Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2025
The 1999 Columbine massacre left 12 students and one teacher dead in one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history.
—Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025
Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 21 Jan. 2025
The first season ended with Joel making the shocking decision to massacre a group of Fireflies, who planned to use Elle's immunity to make a cure for the infection but at the cost of her life.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for massacre
Noun
However, just a little over a mile from FSU, the Florida legislature has been considering the removal of a gun control law passed after the 2018 massacre in Parkland in which 17 people were killed in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2025
The 1999 Columbine massacre left 12 students and one teacher dead in one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history.
—Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025
Verb
Two victims, teen high school girls, were massacred with machetes and baseball bats.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 21 Jan. 2025
The first season ended with Joel making the shocking decision to massacre a group of Fireflies, who planned to use Elle's immunity to make a cure for the infection but at the cost of her life.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for massacre
Cite this Entry
“Massacre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/massacre. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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