ENGLISH
REFERENCE

massacred

v.
C1 Advanced US //ˈmæsəkɝd// UK //mˈæsəkəd// mas·sa·cred

v. to kill a large number of people in a cruel or violent way. It is also used when a team or player loses a game by a very large score.

v. to kill a large number of people indiscriminately and violently; to slaughter. In a figurative sense, it describes a total defeat in a competition or the poor execution of a performance.


SIMPLE

The army massacred hundreds of innocent civilians during the war.

CONTEXTUAL

Historians recently uncovered evidence of how the local population was massacred during the final days of the siege.

COMPLEX

The critics were unforgiving, claiming the lead actor had completely massacred the famous monologue with his inconsistent accent and lack of emotional depth.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object. Often used in the passive voice when discussing historical events.

Pitfall

The soldiers massacred to the villagers.The soldiers massacred the villagers.Massacre is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'to' before its object.

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