slaughter
slaughter
/ˈslɔːtə(r)/
1 the killing of animals for their meat
cows taken for slaughter
Collocations
adjective
verb + slaughter
preposition
for slaughter
phrases
the slaughter of innocents
2 the cruel killing of large numbers of people at one time, especially in a war
the wholesale slaughter of innocent people
Idioms
slaughter
/ˈslɔːtə(r)/
1 slaughter something to kill an animal, usually for its meat
The lambs are taken to the local abattoir to be slaughtered.
Collocations
adverb
preposition
for
2 slaughter somebody/something to kill a large number of people or animals violently
Men, women and children were slaughtered and villages destroyed.
Collocations
adverb
3 slaughter somebody/something (informal) to defeat somebody/something by a large number of points in a sports game, competition, etc.
We were slaughtered 10–1 by the home team.
Word Origin
Middle English (as a noun): from Old Norse slátr ‘butcher's meat’; related to slay. The verb dates from the mid 16th cent.