mercy killings

noun

plural of mercy killing
as in murders
the act of ending the life of someone who is very sick or injured in order to prevent any further suffering Some called her death a mercy killing.

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercy killings
  1. murders
  2. homicides
  3. massacres
Noun
  • The movement thereafter played a prominent role in protests across the United States and in other countries, particularly in the wake of the murders of Eric Garner in 2014 and George Floyd in 2020.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But when similar slayings begin to occur years later, Pete and his ambitious young colleague, Detective Amanda Beck, must figure out whether Carter had an accomplice that got away, or if the murders are merely the work of a copycat.
    — Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of murders
Noun
  • The new minimum applies to more than 50 unsolved homicides and missing-person cases in tribal communities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Officials credited the effort with a nearly 40% reduction in homicides in Duval County in its first four years.
    — Yona Gavino, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of homicides
Noun
  • King managed to take the suffocating history of the Indian — the treaties, the massacres, the Hollywood caricatures — and turn it into something conversational, even funny.
    — Tommy Orange, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Several massacres occurred in surrounding villages during that period.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of massacres
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Mercy killings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercy%20killings. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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