slaughter 
slaugh·ter (slôt′ər)
noun
- the killing of an animal or animals for food; butchering
- the killing of a human being, esp. in a brutal manner
- the killing of people in large numbers, as in battle
- Informal a complete defeat or victory
Etymology: ME slahter < ON slātr, lit., slain flesh, contr. < slattr, akin to OE sleaht, slaughter, death: for IE base see slay
transitive verb
- to kill (an animal or animals) for food; butcher
- to kill (people), esp. brutally or in large numbers
- Informal to conquer or defeat completely
Object
- cattle: It is funded through a Meat and Livestock Commission levy paid on all sheep and cattle slaughtered in England.
- livestock: Soviet agriculture had still not yet recovered from the forced collectivisation of the early 1930s, when peasants destroyed crops and slaughtered livestock.
- animal: Could they have spared many of the slaughtered animals by acting earlier?
- cow: But even the man's most devoted admirers might find difficulty with the sacred cows slaughtered in these pages.
- carcass: These casualty animals or slaughtered carcasses together with subclinical cases will end up in the rendering industry in increasing numbers.
Preposition: at
- abattoir: True, they can now sell cattle of a certain age, slaughtered at a specific abattoir, to some European countries.
Adjective modifier
- senseless: We hope you will join us in our fight to stamp out the senseless slaughter of billions of helpless insects across the world.
- indiscriminate: The indiscriminate slaughter of the buffalo has brought many evils in its train.
- humane: Radical legislation is needed to ensure that all UK abattoirs operate hygienic and humane slaughter of farm animals.
- wholesale: Then our news sources were delighted to pound us with horror stories of wholesale slaughter - which turned out to be entirely untrue.
- needless: Only with widespread help will we be able to stop this unnecessary and needless slaughter.
- wanton: Seeing the sights of wanton slaughter, To another bloody tour across the water.
Noun used with modifier
- ritual: The ritual slaughter of the Australian sheep in Kuwaiti slaughterhouses.
- poultry: Will FAWC look at poultry slaughter once it has completed its study of red meat slaughter?
Preposition: without
- prestunning: Slaughter without prestunning has been banned in Norway, Sweden and New Zealand.
Preposition: of
- innocent: Someone who is not a member of the religion of Satan might say, " But your god has ordered the slaughter of innocents!
- civilian: The US has no qualms about the slaughter of innocent civilians: the Phoenix program in Vietnam, Death Squads in Central America.
- cattle: These measures include the compulsory slaughter of cattle suspected of having BSE and the removal from the food chain of their milk and carcasses.
Preposition: for
- consumption: No animal appearing to suffer from such a disease could be slaughtered for human consumption.
Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
Cuinchywas a slaughter yard Who that had been there for but a few hours could ever forget the sullen sorcery and mad lineaments of Cuinchy?
I who have cursed The drunken officer of British rule, how choose Between this Africa and the English tongue I love? Betray them both, or give back what they give? How can I face such slaughter and be cool? How can I turn from Africa and live?
The really great batsmen fall into two categories.One comes to the wicket saying to the bowlers 'I am going to slaughter you'. The other comes to the wicket saying 'You can't get me out'.
why talk of beauty what could be more beaut- iful than these heroic happy dead who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter they did not stop to think they died instead then shall the voices of liberty be mute? He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water.
Even in victory, there is no beauty, and he who calls it beautiful is one who delights in slaughter.
In the matter of courage (a morally neutral virtue): whatever may be said of the perpetrators of Tuesday's slaughter, they were not cowards.
The man who discovers a new scientific truth has previously had to smash to atoms almost everything he had learnt, and arrives at thenew truthwith handsblood stained from the slaughter of a thousand platitudes.
In the arts of life man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery all the slaughter of plague, pestilence and famine.
Bilbo's the word, and slaughter will ensue.
Their lot forbad: nor circumscribed alone Their growing virtues, but their crimes confined: Forbad to wade through slaughter to a throne, And shut the gates of mercy on mankind.
On war and mutual slaughter bent.
Browse dictionary entries near slaughter
- slaughterhouse ›
- slaughterous ›
- Slav ›
- slave ›
- slave ant ›
- Slave Coast ›
- slave driver ›
- slave-making ant ›
- Slave River ›
- slave ship ›
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