EnglishMain Dictionary
slaughter
Universal Words
noun, verb
noun [U]
1 the killing of animals for their meat:
cows taken for slaughter
2 the cruel killing of large numbers of people at one time, especially in a war
SYNMASSACRE:
the wholesale slaughter of innocent people
IDIOMS see LAMBn.
verb [VN]
1 to kill an animal, usually for its meat:
The lambs are taken to the local abattoir to be slaughtered.
2 to kill a large number of people or animals violently:
Men, women and children were slaughtered and villages destroyed.
3 (informal) to defeat sb/sth by a large number of points in a sports game, competition, etc:
We were slaughtered 101 by the home team.
