Slaughtering - Meaning, Definition & English Examples
Slaughtering means killing animals for food or other purposes, often in large numbers. It can also refer to brutally killing people, typically in a violent or merciless manner.
Definition:
Killing animals for food or in large numbers, often brutally.
Synonyms:
butchering, killing, massacring, exterminating
Part of Speech:
noun, verb (gerund/present participle)
Antonyms:
sparing, saving
Common Collocations:
slaughtering animals, slaughtering innocents, slaughtering cattle, slaughtering process
Derivatives:
slaughterer, slaughters, slaughtered
Usage Tips:
Use "slaughtering" for systematic or brutal killing; avoid for casual contexts like hunting.
Common Phrases:
like lambs to the slaughter, slaughter of the innocents
Etymology:
From Old Norse "slátr," meaning butcher's meat; related to "slay."
Examples:
- 1. The farmer began slaughtering pigs for the winter harvest.
- 2. The documentary exposed the brutal slaughtering of elephants for ivory.
- 3. They protested against the inhumane slaughtering methods at the factory farm.
- 4. Slaughtering innocent civilians is a war crime under international law.