butchered

verb

past tense of butcher
1
as in slaughtered
to kill on a large scale the barbarians butchered the monks in the monasteries without mercy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way the new piano student butchered the sonatina

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 butchered Cut marks and scrapes made by flint knives at consistent locations on the bones indicate local humans butchered many of them for meals. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026 At the site, excavators found stone tools alongside bones of ancient elephants — and the recent paper, written by archaeologists and paleoanthropologists, suggests the remains were likely deliberately butchered by early human ancestors. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026 The meats — some butchered on-site by Soto — sear over mesquite charcoal, with smoke wafting through the large patio and over the restaurant’s bright pink walls. — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Jurors heard a harrowing voicemail left by Johnson begging one of her friends for help as Williams butchered her, stabbing her five times in the chest and four times in her back. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026 Being completely immobilized and nearly butchered by Jean could easily lead to a lifelong hatred of mutantkind. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 31 July 2026 The magazine’s anatomically graphic photos—rats butchered alive, dogs with their faces sliced open, monkeys screaming at the electrodes implanted in their abdomens—seemed like windows into hell. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026 That November, working once again with the Humane Society, Anderson rescued three dogs bound for South Korea to be butchered for meat and another that was rescued from Hurricane Ian in Florida. — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026 Maryland is home to a large Jewish community, many of whom had significant numbers of relatives who were butchered by the SS in concentration camps. — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 9 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butchered
  1. slaughtered
  2. fumbled
  3. blew
  4. murdered
  5. mangled
  6. dubbed
  7. ruined
  8. destroyed
Verb
  • In 1995, Mladic’s troops slaughtered more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica — the only post-World War II case of genocide in Europe.
    — Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In 1995, Mladic's troops slaughtered more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica — the only post-World War II case of genocide in Europe.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of slaughtered
Verb
  • The company, which offers credit cards used to make rent and mortgage payments, had fumbled a critical transition, leading to confusion and financial stress for its customers.
    — Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 31 Aug. 2026
  • On his second drive, Tagovailoa fumbled the snap from center and the Dolphins recovered.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of fumbled
Verb
  • It’s been a decade since the company best known for sucking up hair balls and dust bunnies blew with great force into the beauty business.
    — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Playing the American League’s best team, the Padres had the final two games of the series in hand before the practically impermeable back end of their bullpen blew late leads.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of blew
Verb
  • Curry is largely there for comic relief, swanning in with a bevy of beauties, challenging Bosley (Bill Murray) to a sumo match, and, sadly, getting murdered by the pool, thus depriving us of Curry’s magnetic presence for the rest of the film.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
  • London, who was married to hip hop legend Nipsey Hussle, would come together with Snoop again to honor Nipsey after he was murdered in 2019.
    — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of murdered
Verb
  • Old tree roots have mangled sidewalks and created obstacles for pedestrians, especially parents with strollers and people using wheelchairs.
    — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • Photos released by the agency show the pickup truck mangled and nearly unrecognizable after the violent plunge, with debris scattered across the rocky mountainside.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2026
Definition of mangled
Verb
  • The blaze, dubbed the Pickett fire, started near Calistoga last August and burned 6,800 acres over the course of 17 days, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Once a package or tool was compromised, Shai-Hulud, as the worm was dubbed, attached itself to future package updates.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of dubbed
Verb
  • Three winemakers earlier this month filed suit against the owner of Hundred Acre Wines, Jayson Woodbridge, and his company alleging that smoke from the wildfire ruined their harvests, the Press Democrat reported.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Authorities in Napa County have charged a man for allegedly setting the 2025 Pickett Fire near Calistoga, which burned thousands of acres of Wine Country and ruined grape harvests because of the smoke.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruined
Verb
  • The fire started in the 2300 block of Pickett Road and destroyed five structures, according to Cal Fire.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Almost 50 homes and other structures have been destroyed so far; there have been several injuries, and one of Tibbetts’s neighbors lost 20 German shepherds.
    — Anya Kamenetz, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of destroyed

Browse Nearby Words

butcher
butchered
butcheries
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Cite this Entry

“Butchered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butchered. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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