Butcher: meaning, definitions and examples

Used to refer to someone who cuts and sells meat in a shop. It can also have a negative connotation when describing someone who performs a task very poorly or someone who kills people brutally.

• The butcher at the local market has the freshest cuts of meat.
• He really butchered that speech; it was hard to listen to.

A specific term used to refer to someone who primarily cuts meat. It’s more technical and often used within the industry or for job titles.

• The meat cutter prepared the steaks perfectly for the restaurant.
• Working as a meat cutter requires special training and a good eye for quality.

Used to refer to someone whose primary role is to sell meat, without necessarily cutting it. It’s a broader term that focuses more on the selling aspect.

• The meat seller offered a variety of sausages and cured meats.
• As a meat seller, she spends most of her day interacting with customers and taking orders.

In a different context, this can also refer to someone who kills people, often in a violent and brutal way. It has a very negative connotation.

• The infamous warlord was known as the butcher of the region.

Typically used to describe the mass killing of animals for food or the brutal and violent killing of people. It often implies a large scale or particularly gruesome act.

• The farmers took their cattle to be slaughtered.
• The historical event was marked by the slaughter of innocent villagers.

Used in a general context to describe the act of ending a life, whether human, animal, or plant. It is commonly used in many different everyday contexts.

• The lion killed its prey swiftly.
• The frost killed all the flowers in the garden.