Thesaurus results for MASSACRES

massacres 1 of 2

noun

plural of massacre

as in slaughters

the killing of a large number of people the infamous massacre of more than 200 Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

massacres

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of massacre

as in murders

to kill on a large scale the country's rival ethnic groups began massacring one another

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 massacres

Noun

The vast majority expressed deep distress and anger at their government after the massacres that took place in response to January’s mass protests. — Narges Bajoghli, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026 The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, while posturing as the guardian of a democratic transition, governed through massacres and military tribunals. — Abdelrahman Elgendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026 Two of the massacres happened in the space of a few hours late Saturday night and in the predawn hours of Sunday. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026 The wars, weddings, births, massacres, famines, our triumphs, our defeats, our past. — Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026 So please do not celebrate Palestinian steadfastness as though we were placed on this earth to provide inspiring images of survival between massacres. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026 But aid workers in Haiti say that large outbreaks of gang violence, particularly massacres like the one in Kenscoff, a community in the hills above Port-au-Prince, are not uncommon. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026 In his reports, there is both disbelief and bitter acceptance of the massacres of Ukraine’s Jewish population. — Nick Holdstock, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026 Backstabbing, scheming, secret children showing up to cause trouble, brainwashing, amnesia, terrorist massacres at weddings, and shoulder pads… so, so many shoulder pads. — Maggie Fremont, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Aug. 2026

Verb

The transition to the climax, when Odysseus massacres his wife’s suitors with the help of Athena’s magic and son Telemachus (Alan Stenson), is also fairly rushed. — Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 24 July 2026 The Polish government considers the Volhynia and Galicia massacres a genocide, and holds Bandera equal in infamy to Nazi war criminals of the same era. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for massacres

Noun

By the eighth century, Charlemagne was organizing mass slaughters of the animal while the Church, wary of its earlier status as living god, denounced the bear as lewd, noting its disturbing resemblance to humans.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 July 2026
Hands-down one of the most disgusting movies ever made (a compliment), the film finds the indefatigable slasher, who was decapitated at the end of Terrifier 2, reattaching his head and commencing his ritual slaughters.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025

Definition of slaughters

Noun

Janabi said one of the biggest challenges has been persuading those who are infected to seek medical assistance, adding that some deaths occur in the community outside of health centers.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
In Minnesota, none of the federal agents involved in the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti have been criminally charged, but a string of civil lawsuits is beginning to emerge.

— Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of deaths

Browse Nearby Words

massacrers

massacres

massacring

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Massacres.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/massacres. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of massacres

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes