cutthroats

noun

plural of cutthroat
as in murderers
a person who kills another person while traveling the ancient Silk Road, traders were constant prey to cutthroats and thieves

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of cutthroats Fly-fishers will find an extensive stretch of Gold Medal Water (a designation for quality and trout density) in Colorado, with access to browns, brookies, cutthroats, and rainbow trout. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 20 Aug. 2026 Whitesitt caught his state-record cutty there in mid-April, around the same time cutthroats in the northern Rockies are spawning in tributary streams. — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cutthroats
  1. murderers
  2. assassins
  3. killers
Noun
  • Benjamin Rush, the Philadelphia physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence, opposed executing even murderers.
    — Maurizio Valsania, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Showing mercy to murderers historically has not been popular with voters.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of murderers
Noun
  • Instead, Cartwright returns to his deceased grandfather’s home thrilled to see that Baker has successfully evaded both the Russian assassins and MI5’s own rabid dogs.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Those two Russian assassins turned out to be significantly more skilled than the horses and perhaps more motivated, too, in seeking revenge for the killing of one of their own.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of assassins
Noun
  • One of the world’s leading experts in the realm of serial killers grew up on the Northwest Side of the city and now lives in Lincoln Square.
    — Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • There were several serial killers the profilers initially focused on.
    — Diana Urban, Hartford Courant, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of killers

Browse Nearby Words

cutthroat
cutthroats
cutting
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cutthroats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cutthroats. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All