massacre

massacre — noun

1. a violent event in which many people are killed, especially ordinary people who

1.nounB2
Definition

a violent event in which many people are killed, especially ordinary people who cannot defend themselves, in a way that is widely seen as cruel and shocking.

Example

Tariq read about the massacre in his textbook and felt a chill run down his spine.

A stone monument near the old square lists the names of everyone killed in the massacre.

the [place] massacre — referring to a specific killing event

Common collocations
  • massacre of
  • survivors of the massacre
  • site of the massacre
  • victims of the massacre
  • investigate the massacre
  • order the massacre
Synonyms
  • slaughter

    can also refer to the killing of animals for food; more neutral in tone

  • carnage

    focuses on the bloody result and scene of killing rather than the event itself

  • genocide

    specifically the systematic destruction of an entire racial, political, or cultural group; narrower and more precise

  • mass murder

    a legal term that does not carry the same connotation of cruelty or helpless victims

Grammar Patterns

a/the massacre of [group] by [perpetrator]

Usage Note

Often followed by 'of' to identify the victims and 'by' to identify the perpetrators (the massacre of civilians by government forces). Frequently appears with a specific year or place name that identifies a historical event.

Common Mistakes

The gang member committed a massacre when he shot one person.
The gang member committed a murder when he shot one person.
'massacre' implies many victims, not a single killing.

2. a sports game, competition, or election in which one side loses by an extremely

2.nounB2
Definition

a sports game, competition, or election in which one side loses by an extremely large and humiliating margin.

Example

The 10–1 scoreline was the worst massacre in the school's basketball history.

score pattern: [score] was the worst massacre

Romi called the election a complete massacre because her party lost every district.

Common collocations
  • a complete massacre
  • the worst massacre
  • turn into a massacre
  • suffer a massacre
Synonyms
  • rout

    emphasizes that the losing side fled or scattered in disorder; mostly sports and military

  • drubbing

    informal, often implies the losing team was physically outplayed; slightly old-fashioned

  • shellacking

    American English informal, very strong defeat; less common in British contexts

Grammar Patterns

a massacre for [team/party]

turn into a massacre

Usage Note

Most common in informal sports journalism and fan commentary. Not used for close games or narrow defeats — the losing side must have been completely outclassed. Can extend to business competition or political elections.

Common Mistakes

The game was a massacre, ending 3–2.
The game was a massacre, ending 8
0.' — a one-goal difference is too close for 'massacre'.

massacre — verb

Word family

  • massacred
    adjectiveC1
  • massacring
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe large-scale killing, but they differ in scope and focus. 'Slaughter' is the broadest: it can refer to killing animals for food or people in battle, and it carries less of the 'helpless victim' implication that 'massacre' has. 'Genocide' is the most specific — it refers to the deliberate, systematic destruction of an entire national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, and is a term defined in international law. 'Carnage' emphasizes the bloody aftermath and the scene of killing rather than the act itself; you might say 'the road was covered in carnage' after a serious accident. 'Mass murder' is a legal and clinical term for the killing of multiple people at once, without the emotional weight of cruelty or helplessness. For example: 'The 1994 genocide in Rwanda killed nearly a million people.' But: 'The battle was a slaughter, with both sides losing heavily.' And: 'The massacre of unarmed protesters drew international condemnation.'

slaughtergenocide ↗carnagemass murder

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • brutally
  • mercilessly
  • systematically
  • indiscriminately

Phrases

  • commit a massacre
  • carry out a massacre
  • survive a massacre
  • investigate a massacre

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word entered English from French 'massacre' (meaning wholesale slaughter or butchery) in the late 1500s. French got it from Old French 'macacre' (slaughterhouse, butchery), whose deeper origin is uncertain — one theory traces it to Latin 'mattea' (a type of club or mace, used as a weapon). The figurative sports sense, referring to a one-sided defeat, developed in the early 20th century as journalists extended the word to competitive contests.