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.
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 The killing is halfway between femicide and, as the earth drinks up her blood, ritual sacrifice. — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026 South Africa has one of the leading rates of femicide in the world. — Rael Ombuor The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 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 14 Oct. 2026.

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