1
a
: a person who slaughters animals or dresses their flesh
b
: a dealer in meat
2
: one that kills ruthlessly or brutally
3
: one that bungles or botches
4
: a vendor especially on trains or in theaters
butchered; butchering
ˈbu̇-chə-riŋ 
ˈbu̇ch-
1
: to slaughter and dress for market
butcher hogs
2
: to kill in a barbarous manner
3
: botch
butchered the play
Examples of butcher in a Sentence
Noun
the newest intern on the campaign is a butcher when it comes to writing press releases
Verb
They've hired someone to butcher the hogs.
Many innocent people were butchered under his regime.
The band has butchered my favorite song.
Recent Examples on the Web
Maggie Downs, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2025
It was subsequently given to the artist Kara Walker, who carved it up in accordance with a butcher’s diagram.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
This can include field dressing, skinning, butchering into various cuts and packaging.
—Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butcher
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.
Noun
Best Restaurants Industrial Eats What started as a catering company is now a farm-to-table restaurant and craft butcher shop in a converted warehouse on Industrial Way in Buellton.
—Maggie Downs, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2025
It was subsequently given to the artist Kara Walker, who carved it up in accordance with a butcher’s diagram.
—Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
At the time that the cut was identified, researchers proposed that the mark proved that First Peoples butchered ancient megafauna.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
This can include field dressing, skinning, butchering into various cuts and packaging.
—Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butcher
Cite this Entry
“Butcher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butcher. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
butcher
1 of 2 noun
butch·er
ˈbu̇ch-ər
1
a
: one whose business is killing animals for sale as food
b
: a dealer in meat
2
: a person who kills in large numbers or in a brutal manner
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share