SLAUGHTER

Pronunciation (US):

• SLAUGHTER (noun)
  The noun SLAUGHTER has 3 senses:

1. the killing of animals (as for food)
2. a sound defeat
3. the savage and excessive killing of many people

  Familiarity information: SLAUGHTER used as a noun is uncommon.

• SLAUGHTER (verb)
  The verb SLAUGHTER has 2 senses:

1. kill (animals) usually for food consumption
2. kill a large number of people indiscriminately

  Familiarity information: SLAUGHTER used as a verb is rare.

• SLAUGHTER (noun)

Meaning:

The killing of animals (as for food)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("slaughter" is a kind of...):

kill; killing; putting to death (the act of terminating a life)

Holonyms ("slaughter" is a part of...):

butchering; butchery (the business of a butcher)

Meaning:

A sound defeat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

walloping; trouncing; thrashing; drubbing; slaughter; whipping; debacle

Hypernyms ("slaughter" is a kind of...):

defeat; licking (an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest)

Meaning:

The savage and excessive killing of many people

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

carnage; mass murder; massacre; butchery; slaughter

Hypernyms ("slaughter" is a kind of...):

execution; murder; slaying (unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by a human being)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "slaughter"):

battue; bloodbath; bloodletting; bloodshed (indiscriminate slaughter)

Instance hyponyms:

Alamo (a siege and massacre at a mission in San Antonio in 1836; Mexican forces under Santa Anna besieged and massacred American rebels who were fighting to make Texas independent of Mexico)

Battle of Little Bighorn; Battle of the Little Bighorn; Custer's Last Stand; Little Bighorn (a battle in Montana near the Little Bighorn River between United States cavalry under Custer and several groups of Native Americans (1876); Custer was pursuing Sioux led by Sitting Bull; Custer underestimated the size of the Sioux forces (which were supported by Cheyenne warriors) and was killed along with all his command)

• SLAUGHTER (verb)

Meaning:

Kill (animals) usually for food consumption

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

butcher; slaughter

Context example:

They slaughtered their only goat to survive the winter

Hypernyms (to "slaughter" is one way to...):

kill (cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly)

"Slaughter" entails doing...:

cut (separate with or as if with an instrument)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "slaughter"):

chine (cut through the backbone of an animal)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Meaning:

Kill a large number of people indiscriminately

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

massacre; mow down; slaughter

Context example:

The Hutus massacred the Tutsis in Rwanda

Hypernyms (to "slaughter" is one way to...):

kill (cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They want to slaughter the prisoners