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Definition of slaughter noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

slaughter

noun
 
/ˈslɔːtə(r)/
 
/ˈslɔːtər/
[uncountable]Idioms
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  1. the killing of animals for their meat
    • cows taken for slaughter
    Extra Examples
    • humane forms of animal slaughter
    • the transporting of live horses for slaughter
    Topics Farmingc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • indiscriminate
    • mass
    • wholesale
    verb + slaughter
    • end
    • prevent
    • stop
    preposition
    • for slaughter
    phrases
    • the slaughter of innocents
    See full entry
  2. the cruel killing of large numbers of people at one time, especially in a war synonym massacre
    • the wholesale slaughter of innocent people
    Extra Examples
    • We were helpless to stop the slaughter.
    • the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • indiscriminate
    • mass
    • wholesale
    verb + slaughter
    • end
    • prevent
    • stop
    preposition
    • for slaughter
    phrases
    • the slaughter of innocents
    See full entry
  3. Word OriginMiddle English (as a noun): from Old Norse slátr ‘butcher's meat’; related to slay. The verb dates from the mid 16th cent.
Idioms
(like) a lamb/lambs to the slaughter
  1. used to describe people who are going to do something dangerous without realizing itTopics Dangerc2
See slaughter in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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