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  1. lynch love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. v. To execute without due process of law, especially to hang, as by a mob.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. See linch.
  2. To punish by lynch-law; punish summarily, for a crime or public offense of any kind, without authority of law; specifically, to punish with death in this manner. See lynch-law.

Wiktionary

  1. v. pejorative To execute (somebody) without a proper legal trial or procedure, especially by hanging.
  2. v. pejorative To commit an act of violence by a mob upon the body of another person.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. v. To inflict punishment upon, especially death, without the forms of law, as when a mob captures and hangs a suspected person. See lynch law.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. kill without legal sanction

Etymologies

  1. First attested 1835, from Lynch law that appeared in 1811. There is a popular claim that it was named after William Lynch, but equally strong arguments would have it named after Charles Lynch. (Wiktionary)
  2. Short for lynch law. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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synonyms (1)

Words with the same meaning

  1. string up

hypernyms (1)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. kill

rhymes (14)

Words with the same terminal sound

  1. Minch
  2. cinch
  1. clinch
  2. finch
  1. flinch
  2. grinch
  1. hinch
  2. inch
  1. kinch
  2. linch
  1. minch
  2. pinch
  1. synch
  2. winch

reverse dictionary (12)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. lynch
  2. lynch-court
  1. lynching
  2. mob-law
  1. Piozzi
  2. Thrale
  1. dewitt
  2. club law
  1. Lynch
  2. mob law
  1. white caps
  2. whitecap

tags (3)

Free-form, user-generated categorization

  1. linch
  1. lynch-law
  1. Charlie Burton and the Dorothy Lynch Mob

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Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘lynch’.

Comments

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  • bilby A bit like a press hatchet job on the truth, eh Mel. Jun 2, 2010

  • oroboros ‘The activists had many things ready for an attack on the soldiers,’ Lev-Rom said, ‘including, for instance, a box of 20-30 slingshots with metal balls; these can kill. There were also all sorts of knives and many similar things. These are what they call “cold” weapons, as opposed to live fire. It was quite clear that a lynch had been prepared.’

    --www.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/ , 31May2010 Jun 1, 2010

  • rolig "Named after Capt. William Lynch, head of a self-constituted judicial tribunal in Virginia, c. 1780." - from my Oxford American Dictionaries widget. Dec 5, 2007

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‘lynch’ has been looked up 1781 times, loved by 2 people, added to 11 lists, commented on 3 times, and has a Scrabble score of 13.