slaughter

Noun

• the savage and excessive killing of many people

• a sound defeat

• the killing of animals (as for food)

Verb

• kill a large number of people indiscriminately
  • The Hutus massacred the Tutsis in Rwanda
    

• kill (animals) usually for food consumption
  • They slaughtered their only goat to survive the winter
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  massacre , mass murder , carnage , butchery , thrashing , walloping , debacle , drubbing , trouncing , whipping , mow down , butcher