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slaughter

noun
 
 
/ˈslɔː.tər/ US  /ˈslɑː.t̬ɚ/

Definition

C2 [S or U] the killing of many people cruelly and unfairly, especially in a war: Hardly anyone in the town escaped the slaughter when the rebels were defeated. We must find ways of reducing the slaughter which takes place on our roads (= death of many people in motor accidents) every year.Murder and attempted murderKillingKillingMurder and attempted murder [U] the killing of animals for meat: The geese are being fattened for slaughter. → See also slaughterhouseKillingMurder and attempted murderAnimal farming - general words [S] an occasion when one team is very easily defeated by the other: Saturday's game was an absolute slaughter.Winning and defeatingScoring, winning and losing in sport
(Definition of slaughter noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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