butcher 1 of 2

noun

ˈbu̇-chər How to pronounce butcher (audio)
Definition of butchernext
as in blunderer
someone who bungles an effort the newest intern on the campaign is a butcher when it comes to writing press releases

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

butcher

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to slaughter
to kill on a large scale the barbarians butchered the monks in the monasteries without mercy

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2
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way the new piano student butchered the sonatina

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of butcher
Noun
Meals are punctuated by the heavy thwack of Soto’s butcher knife chopping the meats against a large block of Sinaloan alamo wood, while music and TVs complete the din. — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 During filming, wood beams ran across the ceiling in the kitchen, which had a brick wall, a fireplace, and a butcher-block island. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 11 Aug. 2026
Verb
The meats — some butchered on-site by Soto — sear over mesquite charcoal, with smoke wafting through the large patio and over the restaurant’s bright pink walls. — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Jurors heard a harrowing voicemail left by Johnson begging one of her friends for help as Williams butchered her, stabbing her five times in the chest and four times in her back. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for butcher
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butcher
  1. incompetent
  2. slaughter
  3. fumble
  4. blow
  5. murder
  6. dub
  7. mangle
  8. ruin
Noun
  • The Dodgers reached the pinnacle honestly, in a capitalistic structure that properly hands no favors to the incompetent.
    — Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026
Definition of incompetent
Verb
  • In fact, some protests have started breaking out, though not at the massive scale that was seen in January, when the government slaughtered thousands in a brutal crackdown.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • More than 10,000 people, including many children, died during the two-year siege of Sarajevo and more than 7,000 Muslims, mostly men and boys were slaughtered within a few days in Srebrenica in July 1995.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of slaughter
Verb
  • On his second drive, Tagovailoa fumbled the snap from center and the Dolphins recovered.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Centennial fumbled on its first possession to set up Petero’s two-yard touchdown run.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of fumble
Verb
  • It’s been a decade since the company best known for sucking up hair balls and dust bunnies blew with great force into the beauty business.
    — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The Las Vegas spectacle, which opened to the public in August 2025, already blows audiences around with tornado-force wind, shakes them with haptic seats, sends giant winged monkeys flying overhead and drops hundreds of foam apples from the ceiling.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of blow
Verb
  • The singer is accused of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
    — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The vast majority of the 6 million Jews murdered spoke Yiddish.
    — Ilan Stavans, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of murder
Verb
  • Once a package or tool was compromised, Shai-Hulud, as the worm was dubbed, attached itself to future package updates.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The investigation, dubbed Operation Sundown, centers on 60-year-old Juan Awais, who deputies describe as the alleged ringleader.
    — Chelsea Jones, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of dub
Verb
  • Machines meant to begin giving the shells perfectly smooth noses would, instead, mangle them into swirls that looked like soft-serve ice cream.
    — ProPublica, ProPublica, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The man in black is wracked and choking, mangling the words, eyes dripping.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of mangle
Verb
  • The fight between a small Georgia community and tech giant Meta has escalated this week after four families filed a lawsuit against the company alleging a central Georgia data center project has contaminated their water and ruined their home values.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Gen, forgetting her swollen wrist, perks up at the thought of having a new person to ruin sheets with.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of ruin

Browse Nearby Words

butch
butcher
butchered
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Cite this Entry

“Butcher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butcher. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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