euthanize

verb

variants also euthanatize
Definition of euthanizenext
as in to assassinate

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 euthanize The rescue team decided to euthanize the bird on welfare grounds. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026 Then there was the New York Times bestselling author who cared for young animals only to have to euthanize them when the time came. — Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026 The relocation effort gained urgency after Marineland warned officials that it could be forced to euthanize the mammals if the export permits were not quickly approved. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 In 2025, the Beyem Seyo pack killed nearly 100 cattle in about seven months in Plumas and Sierra counties, prompting wildlife officials to euthanize four wolves. — Scott Lebar. Story Produced With Ai Assistance, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for euthanize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for euthanize
  1. assassinate
  2. execute
  3. terminate
  4. slaughter
  5. put down
Verb
  • Riehle made it to Broadway in 1986 with a role in the Emily Mann drama Execution of Justice, which centered on the trial of Dan White, who assassinated San Francisco mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Earlier that year, King had been assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of assassinate
Verb
  • The high court found that the administration had not demonstrated that the president was authorized to use regular military forces to execute federal laws or that those forces were unable to carry out the mission.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Through it all, each member of the 11-person cast plays an instrument — or two or three or four — while toggling between characters, belting lyrics and executing Chi-San Howard’s enthralling choreography.
    — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of execute
Verb
  • In anticipation of such a transfer to NYU Langone, the current building’s owner has terminated our lease.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Among the terminated is a welder, Choi Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu), who wears a frown so implacable that it might have been etched in steel.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of terminate
Verb
  • White militias destroyed their homes, torched their food supplies, and slaughtered them outright so routinely that a secondary economy of kidnappers sprang up to sell the survivors, children and adults alike, into servitude.
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Twenty-thousand horses go to slaughter every year in America.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of slaughter
Verb
  • Today, aspiring developers can turn a good idea into a playable VPX table without ever putting down their phone.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The slowdown in investment was put down to government hesitation over changes to Italy’s domestic tax incentive for TV shows and films.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of put down

Browse Nearby Words

euthanasias
euthanize
euthanized
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Euthanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/euthanize. Accessed 28 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 grotesque

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

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
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