slaughter

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slaugh·ter

(slô′tər)

1. The killing of animals especially for food.

2. The killing of a large number of people; a massacre: "I could not give my name to aid the slaughter in this war, fought on both sides for grossly material ends" (Sylvia Pankhurst).

tr.v. slaugh·tered, slaugh·ter·ing, slaugh·ters

1. To kill (animals) especially for food; butcher.

a. To kill (people) in large numbers; massacre.

b. To kill in a violent or brutal manner.

[Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse slātr, butchery.]

slaugh′ter·er n.

slaugh′ter·ous adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

slaughter

(ˈslɔːtə)

1. (Agriculture) the killing of animals, esp for food

2. the savage killing of a person

3. (Military) the indiscriminate or brutal killing of large numbers of people, as in war; massacre

4. informal a resounding defeat

vb (tr)

5. (Agriculture) to kill (animals), esp for food

6. to kill in a brutal manner

7. to kill indiscriminately or in large numbers

8. informal to defeat resoundingly

[Old English sleaht; related to Old Norse slāttar hammering, slātr butchered meat, Old High German slahta, Gothic slauhts, German Schlacht battle]

ˈslaughterer n

ˈslaughterous adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

slaugh•ter

(ˈslɔ tər)

n.

1. the killing or butchering of cattle, sheep, etc., esp. for food.

2. a brutal or violent killing, esp. the killing of great numbers of people or animals indiscriminately; carnage.

v.t.

3. to kill or butcher (animals), esp. for food.

4. to kill in a brutal or violent manner.

5. to slay in great numbers; massacre.

[1250–1300; < Old Norse slātr, earlier slāttr, slahtr; akin to slay]

slaugh′ter•er, n.

slaughter

fatstock - Livestock fattened for slaughter.
massacre - Comes from Latin mazacrium/masacrium, "slaughter."
slaughter - From Old Norse, meaning "butcher's meat."
homicide, murder, manslaughter - The general term for the killing of a person by another is homicide; murder is either the intentional killing or the malicious killing of another, while manslaughter is the unintentional, accidental killing of another through carelessness.

slaughter

Past participle: slaughtered
Gerund: slaughtering

Imperative
slaughter
slaughter

Present
I slaughter
you slaughter
he/she/it slaughters
we slaughter
you slaughter
they slaughter

Preterite
I slaughtered
you slaughtered
he/she/it slaughtered
we slaughtered
you slaughtered
they slaughtered

Present Continuous
I am slaughtering
you are slaughtering
he/she/it is slaughtering
we are slaughtering
you are slaughtering
they are slaughtering

Present Perfect
I have slaughtered
you have slaughtered
he/she/it has slaughtered
we have slaughtered
you have slaughtered
they have slaughtered

Past Continuous
I was slaughtering
you were slaughtering
he/she/it was slaughtering
we were slaughtering
you were slaughtering
they were slaughtering

Past Perfect
I had slaughtered
you had slaughtered
he/she/it had slaughtered
we had slaughtered
you had slaughtered
they had slaughtered

Future
I will slaughter
you will slaughter
he/she/it will slaughter
we will slaughter
you will slaughter
they will slaughter

Future Perfect
I will have slaughtered
you will have slaughtered
he/she/it will have slaughtered
we will have slaughtered
you will have slaughtered
they will have slaughtered

Future Continuous
I will be slaughtering
you will be slaughtering
he/she/it will be slaughtering
we will be slaughtering
you will be slaughtering
they will be slaughtering

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been slaughtering
you have been slaughtering
he/she/it has been slaughtering
we have been slaughtering
you have been slaughtering
they have been slaughtering

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been slaughtering
you will have been slaughtering
he/she/it will have been slaughtering
we will have been slaughtering
you will have been slaughtering
they will have been slaughtering

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been slaughtering
you had been slaughtering
he/she/it had been slaughtering
we had been slaughtering
you had been slaughtering
they had been slaughtering

Conditional
I would slaughter
you would slaughter
he/she/it would slaughter
we would slaughter
you would slaughter
they would slaughter

Past Conditional
I would have slaughtered
you would have slaughtered
he/she/it would have slaughtered
we would have slaughtered
you would have slaughtered
they would have slaughtered

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	slaughter - the killing of animals (as for food) kill, putting to death, killing - the act of terminating a life butchering, butchery - the business of a butcher
	2.	slaughter - a sound defeat drubbing, thrashing, trouncing, walloping, whipping, debacle defeat, licking - an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest; "it was a narrow defeat"; "the army's only defeat"; "they suffered a convincing licking"
	3.	slaughter - the savage and excessive killing of many people carnage, mass murder, massacre, butchery murder, slaying, execution - unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by a human being bloodbath, bloodletting, bloodshed, battue - indiscriminate slaughter; "a bloodbath took place when the leaders of the plot surrendered"; "ten days after the bloodletting Hitler gave the action its name"; "the valley is no stranger to bloodshed and murder"; "a huge prison battue was ordered"
Verb	1.	slaughter - kill (animals) usually for food consumption; "They slaughtered their only goat to survive the winter" butcher chine - cut through the backbone of an animal kill - cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly; "This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank"; "The farmer killed a pig for the holidays"
	2.	slaughter - kill a large number of people indiscriminately; "The Hutus massacred the Tutsis in Rwanda" massacre, mow down kill - cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly; "This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank"; "The farmer killed a pig for the holidays"

slaughter

verb

1. kill, murder, massacre, destroy, do in (slang), execute, dispatch, assassinate, blow away (slang, chiefly U.S.), annihilate, bump off (slang) Thirty-four people were slaughtered while queueing up to cast their votes.

2. butcher, kill, slay, destroy, massacre, exterminate Whales and dolphins are still being slaughtered for commercial gain.

3. (Informal) defeat, thrash, vanquish, stuff (slang), tank (slang), hammer (informal), crush, overwhelm, lick (informal), undo, rout, trounce, wipe the floor with (informal), blow out of the water (slang) He slaughtered his opponent in three sets.

noun

1. slaying, killing, murder, massacre, holocaust, bloodshed, carnage, liquidation, extermination, butchery, blood bath The annual slaughter of wildlife is horrific.

2. butchery, killing sheep exported for slaughter

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

slaughter

noun

The savage killing of many victims:

bloodbath, bloodletting, bloodshed, butchery, carnage, massacre, pogrom.

verb

To kill savagely and indiscriminately:

annihilate, butcher, decimate, massacre.

Translations

تقتيلذبحذَبْحمذبحةمَذْبَحَه، مَجْزَرَه

pobíjetporáženíporážetrozdrtitvybíjení

blodbadslagteslagtning

abschlachten schlachten Schlächterei Schlachtung Gemetzel

σφαγή

matanza matar sacrificar sacrificio carnicería

joukkomurhalahdatalahtiteurastaateurastus

abattage abattre massacrer carnage massacre

gyilkos kritikát írlevágástömegmészárlás

brytja niîur, strádrepaslátraslátrunslátrun; blóîsúthelling

macellare macellazione massacrare massacro strage

屠畜惨殺殺し殺人虐殺

skerdimas

kaušanakautnežēlīgi kritizētnokautsatriekt

massakrere slakt

массовое убийство резня убой

zabíjaniezabíjať

klanjeklatipokolzaklati

slakta

ağır yenilgiye uğratmakkatliamkatliam yapmakkesimkesmek

屠宰屠杀彻底击败严厉批评

slaughter

[ˈslɔːtəʳ]

A. N [of animals] → matanza f, sacrificio m; [of persons] → matanza f, carnicería f
the slaughter on the roads → el gran número de muertes en las carreteras
the Slaughter of the Innocents → la Degollación de los Inocentes
like a lamb to the slaughter → como borrego al matadero
there was great slaughter → hubo gran mortandad

B. VT

1. (= kill) [+ animals] → matar, sacrificar; [+ person, people] → matar brutalmente

2. (Sport etc) (= beat) → dar una paliza a

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

slaughter

[ˈslɔːtə^r]

[animals] → abattage m
animals going away to slaughter
BUT des animaux en route pour l'abattoir.
like a lamb to slaughter, like a lamb to the slaughter → comme un agneau à la boucherie, comme un agneau à l'abattoir
like lambs to slaughter, like lambs to the slaughter → comme des agneaux à la tuerie, comme des agneaux à l'abattoir

(= massacre) → massacre m

[+ animal] → abattre

[+ people] → massacrer

(= defeat heavily) → massacrer
We slaughtered them 5-1 → On les a massacrés 5 à 1.

slaughter

n (of animals) → Schlachten nt no pl; (of persons) → Gemetzel nt no pl, → Abschlachten nt no pl (liter); the Slaughter of the Innocents (Bibl) → der Mord der Unschuldigen Kinder; the slaughter on the streets → das Töten auf den Straßen

vt → schlachten; persons (lit) → abschlachten; (fig) → fertigmachen (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

slaughter

[ˈslɔːtəʳ]

1. n (of animals) → macellazione f; (of people) → strage f, massacro, carneficina

2. vt (animals) → macellare; (people) → trucidare, massacrare (fig) → distruggere, massacrare

slaughter

(ˈsloːtə) noun

1. the killing of people or animals in large numbers, cruelly and usually unnecessarily. Many people protested at the annual slaughter of seals.

2. the killing of animals for food. Methods of slaughter must be humane.

verb

1. to kill (animals) for food. Thousands of cattle are slaughtered here every year.

2. to kill in a cruel manner, especially in large numbers.

3. to criticize unmercifully or defeat very thoroughly. Our team absolutely slaughtered the other side.

ˈslaughter-house noun

a place where animals are killed in order to be sold for food; an abattoir.

References in classic literature ?

The storm still continuing, he was obliged to slaughter his yoke oxen for food.

View in context

Under the skillful generalship of the Circles almost every Woman's charge was fatal and very many extracted their sting uninjured, ready for a second slaughter. But no second blow was needed; the rabble of the Isosceles did the rest of the business for themselves.

View in context

"You will answer slaughter with slaughter?" Villa Kennan objected.

View in context

And so, taking courage, they set out in the darkness, and attacked the town, and took it with great slaughter.

View in context

The Amaboona drew their knives and fought bravely, but before a man could count a hundred twice it was done, and they were being dragged, some few dead, but the most yet living, towards the gates of the kraal and out on to the Hill of Slaughter, and there, on the Hill of Slaughter, they were massacred, every one of them.

View in context

They were wild with elation, and were for finishing the day in one glorious rush upon the village, during which they would slaughter the last of their foemen.

View in context

"I've seen shooting and slaughter, but I never saw anything like that.

View in context

The King of Madagonia having refused either to apologise or pay, the King of Novakatka made war upon him, saying that it was necessary to show that Novakatkans must not be slaughtered. In the battles which ensued the people of Madagonia slaughtered two thousand Novakatkans and wounded twelve thousand.

View in context

Some one inquired at the Slaughters' regarding him, where it was said that he and his friend Captain Dobbin had left town.

View in context

A FARMER of the Augustan age Perused in Virgil's golden page, The story of the secret won From Proteus by Cyrene's son How the dank sea-god sowed the swain Means to restore his hives again More briefly, how a slaughtered bull Breeds honey by the bellyful.

View in context

This was the case of Pisistratus at Athens, when he opposed the Pediaci: and of Theagenes in Megara, who slaughtered the cattle belonging to the rich, after he had seized those who kept them by the riverside.

View in context

One in particular declared with martial heat that they were put there to be slaughtered. Bennigsen on his own authority ordered the troops to occupy the high ground.