femicide

noun

fem·​i·​cide ˈfe-mə-ˌsīd How to pronounce femicide (audio)
plural femicides
: the gender-based murder of a woman or girl by a man
There have been calls for a "national shutdown" to protest femicide in South Africa.—Africa Check
… speaks to a generation of young people fed up with femicides, sexual assault, and the ever more pervasive violence in Mexico.—Cody Copeland

Examples of femicide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Brazil recorded 1,571 femicides in 2025, the highest number since the crime was defined in law in 2015, according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety. — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026 Moriarty's office said rejection killings are a form of femicide in which women are targeted for asserting autonomy over their bodies. — Jason Rantala, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 Mexico ranks twentieth in the world in number of femicides documented. — Daniel Peña, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026 In 2025, 1,571 women were victims of femicide, the highest annual total since Brazil defined the crime in law in 2015, the forum said. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for femicide

Word History

Etymology

femi- (in Latin fēmina "woman") + -cide (after homicide) — more at feminine entry 1

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of femicide was in 1976

Rhymes for femicide

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Browse Nearby Words

femic
femicide
feminal
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Cite this Entry

“Femicide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/femicide. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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