carnage

noun

car·​nage ˈkär-nij How to pronounce carnage (audio)
1
: the flesh of slain animals or humans
a multitude of dogs came to feast on the carnageT. B. Macaulay
2
: great and usually bloody slaughter or injury (as in battle)
the carnage of war

Examples of carnage in a Sentence

Reporters described the highway accident as a scene of carnage. the appalling carnage in that war-torn country requires that the outside world intervene
Recent Examples on the Web As the officials viewed early images of the carnage, Mr. Goldknopf recalled, a fellow cabinet minister broke down in tears. Natan Odenheimer, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 As CEOs remotely perform cuts, employees are posting about the carnage and pushing past taboo to expose the emotional cost of these moves. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 29 Feb. 2024 By dewdrops flare beauty in the morning Until an army of squash bugs land And eat, then drag their bellies From the carnage— Field mice chew their way Into the house. Joy Harjo, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 When a mysterious group sabotages one of New York City’s building cranes and threatens to bring down a second one, Rhyme has only hours to stop the carnage. Sandra Dallas, The Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2024 But what fueled the megalodon's insatiable appetite for carnage? Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024 The measure’s proponents point to alarming levels of carnage on L.A. streets. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024 That applies also to the carnage, when the devoted Creature starts eliminating anyone who upsets his sweetheart and using their corpses to replace his missing body parts. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2024 And smaller tech companies haven’t avoided the carnage. Will Daniel, Fortune, 19 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carnage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Medieval Latin carnaticum tribute consisting of animals or meat, from Latin carn-, caro — see carnal

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of carnage was in 1614

Dictionary Entries Near carnage

Cite this Entry

“Carnage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carnage. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

carnage

noun
car·​nage ˈkär-nij How to pronounce carnage (audio)
: great destruction of life (as in battle) : slaughter

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