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massacre

mas·sa·cre [ mássəkər ]


noun  (plural mas·sa·cres)
Definition:
 
1. killing of many people: the vicious killing of large numbers of people or animals

2. bad defeat: a contest in which one side is badly beaten ( informal )



transitive verb  (past and past participle mas·sa·cred, present participle mas·sa·cring, 3rd person present singular mas·sa·cres)
Definition:
 
1. kill people in large numbers: to kill large numbers of people or animals

2. defeat somebody completely: to defeat somebody completely, especially in a sports contest ( informal )

[Late 16th century. < French, "butchery"]
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