Massacre
ˈmæsəkər
Definitions
2 meaningsThe intentional killing of a large number of people, especially in a cruel or violent way.
ˈmæsəkər
A brutal and indiscriminate killing of a large number of people.
The village was the site of a terrible massacre during the war.
💡 Simply: A massacre is like a really, really bad day where lots of people are hurt or killed, usually in a violent way. Think of a super-sad story.
👶 For kids: When a lot of people are hurt or killed in a mean way.
More Examples
Historians have documented numerous massacres throughout history.
The government has vowed to bring the perpetrators of the massacre to justice.
How It's Used
"The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was a notorious act of gang violence."
"The report detailed a massacre of civilians during the conflict."
To kill a large number of people in a brutal or indiscriminate way.
ˈmæsəkər
To kill a large number of people brutally and indiscriminately.
The soldiers were accused of massacring unarmed civilians.
💡 Simply: To massacre means to kill a lot of people in a cruel way. Think of a movie where bad guys hurt a bunch of good guys.
👶 For kids: To hurt or kill lots of people in a really bad way.
More Examples
The dictator ordered his troops to massacre the rebels.
The novel graphically depicts the events of the massacre.
How It's Used
"The invading army massacred the entire population of the town."
"Witnesses described how the soldiers massacred innocent civilians."
Idioms & expressions
massacre the competition
To defeat or outperform competitors decisively or overwhelmingly.
"The new product will likely massacre the competition in the market."
From Middle French massacre (a slaughter), from Provençal macèl (slaughterhouse), from Late Latin *macellum (market, butcher shop).
The word 'massacre' has been used in English since the 16th century, initially borrowed from French to describe large-scale acts of violence and slaughter.
Memory tip
Imagine a mass of people being cruelly killed; a MASS-acre.
Word Origin
"slaughter, butchery"