butchering

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms.

butch·er

(bo͝och′ər)

a. One who slaughters and dresses animals for food or market.

b. One who sells meats.

2. One that kills brutally or indiscriminately.

3. A vendor, especially one on a train or in a theater.

4. One who bungles something.

tr.v. butch·ered, butch·er·ing, butch·ers

1. To slaughter or prepare (animals) for market.

2. To kill brutally or indiscriminately.

3. To botch; bungle: butcher a project; butchered the language. See Synonyms at botch.

[Middle English bucher, from Old French bouchier, from bouc, boc, he-goat, probably of Celtic origin.]

butch′er·er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun

butchering - the business of a butcher

butchery

slaughter - the killing of animals (as for food)

business enterprise, commercial enterprise, business - the activity of providing goods and services involving financial and commercial and industrial aspects; "computers are now widely used in business"

References in classic literature ?

Doubtless one leading reason why the world declines honoring us whalemen, is this: they think that, at best, our vocation amounts to a butchering sort of business; and that when actively engaged therein, we are surrounded by all manner of defilements.

View in context

I enjoy all tasks involved in butchery, from serving customers, to breaking down primal cuts and butchering on the block, sausage and other production, making our award-winning pies from scratch and working with the staff to help create new and innovative value add and kitchen ready products for our customers."

Butchers get knives out for competition; CUTTING EDGE Local trio to test skills against best in the world

BUTCHERING BEEF joins its companion reference BUTCHERING POULTRY, RABBIT, LAMB, GOAT, AND PORK to provide a solid reference from a professional butcher who here describes each stage of the butchering process for beef, from killing the animal humanely to dressing and cooling its carcass and breaking down the meat.