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⇱ butcher - WordReference.com Dictionary of English


butcher

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈbʊtʃər/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈbʊtʃɚ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(bŏŏchər)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
butch•er /ˈbʊtʃɚ/USA pronunciation   n. 
    [countable]
  1. one who kills animals and prepares the meat for food or for market;
    one who sells meat in a shop:He worked as a butcher in the stockyards.
  2. a person guilty of brutal murder:The prison commander was known as the "butcher'' because of all the executions he ordered.

v. [+ object]
  1. to slaughter (animals) and prepare the meat for market:He butchered the calf.
  2. to kill brutally or excessively:He butchered thousands of civilians.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
butch•er  (bŏŏchər),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. a retail or wholesale dealer in meat.
  2. a person who slaughters certain animals, or who dresses the flesh of animals, fish, or poultry, for food or market.
  3. a person guilty of brutal or indiscriminate slaughter or murder.
  4. a vendor who hawks newspapers, candy, beverages, etc., as on a train, at a stadium, etc.

v.t. 
  1. to slaughter or dress (animals, fish, or poultry) for market.
  2. to kill indiscriminately or brutally.
  3. to bungle;
    botch:to butcher a job.
  • Gaulish *bucco-; compare Old Irish boc, Welsh bwch; akin to buck1) + -ier -ier2 (see -er2)
  • Anglo-French; Old French bo(u)chier, equivalent. to bo(u)c he-goat (
  • Middle English bocher 1250–1300
butcher•er, n. 
    3. killer, cutthroat. 5. 6. See slaughter. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
butcher /ˈbʊtʃə/ n
  1. a retailer of meat
  2. a person who slaughters or dresses meat for market
  3. an indiscriminate or brutal murderer
vb (transitive)
  1. to slaughter or dress (animals) for meat
  2. to kill indiscriminately or brutally
  3. to make a mess of; botch; ruin
Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French bouchier, from bouc he-goat, probably of Celtic origin; see buck1; compare Welsh bwch he-goat
'butcher' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: UK, slang: Let me have a butcher's at your [work, cut, new phone]., go to the butcher shop, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "butcher" in the title:

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