butcher

/ˈbʊtʃər/
noun
  1. A person whose job is to cut up and sell meat.
    • My uncle worked as a butcher for thirty years.
    • We bought fresh chicken from the local butcher.
    • The butcher wrapped the steak in paper for the customer.
  2. A person who kills or has people killed in a cruel or violent way.
    • History remembers him as a butcher, not a general.
    • The dictator was known as a butcher who showed no mercy.
    • The film told the story of a brutal butcher who terrorized the village.
verb
  1. To kill and prepare animals for meat.
    • They butcher the pigs early in the morning.
    • He learned how to butcher a cow from his grandfather.
    • The farm butchers its own chickens for the market.
  2. To ruin something by doing a very bad job, especially in performing or creating something.
    • Don't let him cut your hair — he'll butcher it.
    • I tried to fix the table, but I butchered it instead.
    • The singer completely butchered the national anthem.
  3. To kill people in a cruel or violent way, often in large numbers.
    • Soldiers butchered the prisoners without a trial.
    • In the story, the villain butchers the entire village.
    • The invading army butchered hundreds of innocent people.
What does "butcher" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean