mas·sa·cre (măs'ə-kər)
n.

1. The act or an instance of killing a large number of humans indiscriminately and cruelly.
2. The slaughter of a large number of animals.
3. Informal. A severe defeat, as in a sports event.

tr.v., -cred (-kərd), -cring (-krĭng, -kər-ĭng), -cres.

1. To kill indiscriminately and wantonly; slaughter.
2. Informal. To defeat decisively.
3. Informal. To botch; bungle: massacred the French language trying to order dinner.

[French, from Old French macecle, macecre, butchery, shambles.]

massacrer mas'sa·crer (-kər-ər, -krər) n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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