slaughter

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. the violent killing of a large number of people, especially in a war.

n. the brutal and indiscriminate killing of many people; a massacre.

“The history books describe the terrible slaughter that took place during the battle.”

“The international community condemned the senseless slaughter of civilians caught in the crossfire of the civil war.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Cooking

v. to kill an animal so that its meat can be sold or eaten.

v. to kill animals for food; to butcher.

“The farmer slaughters a few pigs every autumn to feed his family through the winter.”

“In many traditional cultures, the community gathers to help slaughter and process the meat after a successful hunt.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to kill many people in a very violent way.

v. to kill a large number of people indiscriminately or in a cruel manner.

“The invading army proceeded to slaughter everyone they found in the village.”

“The general was later tried for war crimes after his troops were found to have slaughtered hundreds of unarmed prisoners.”

C1 · Advanced Sports Informal

v. to beat an opponent very easily in a game or competition.

v. to defeat an opponent decisively or overwhelmingly.

“Our team was slaughtered in the final, losing by six goals.”

“The defending champions were absolutely slaughtered in the opening round, a result that shocked the entire sporting world.”