lynch
/lɪnt͡ʃ/
lynch verb: to execute (somebody) without a proper legal trial or procedure, especially by hanging and backed by a mob. Also the alternative form of linch.
Verb
lynch (third-person singular simple present lynches, present participle lynching, simple past and past participle lynched)
- To execute (somebody) without a proper legal trial or procedure, especially by hanging and backed by a mob.
- Public anger erupted. Soldiers were lynched in the streets including young recruits proven to have been deceived by their generals about the true intentions of the attack.2018, “Europe's Flashpoints” (2:12 from the start), in Close Up — The Current Affairs Documentary, episode 2, (narration regarding the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt) (actor), via Deutsche Welle...
- Synonyms:
- string up
- To castigate severely.
- I telephoned Bill Brandon in Oxford and begged him to get the new refrigeration unit into production before I got lynched.2024, Louis Hagen, Suddenly an Englishman
Proper noun capitalized: Lynch
Lynch (countable and uncountable, plural Lynchs or Lynches)
- A surname from Irish.
- A home rule-class city in Harlan County, Kentucky.
- An unincorporated community in Kent County, Maryland.
- A township and village therein, in Boyd County, Nebraska.
- A tributary of the North Fork Rivanna River, Virginia.
- A hamlet in Berkeley parish, Stroud district, Gloucestershire (OS grid ref ST6799).
- A hamlet in Overton parish, Basingstoke and Deane district, Hampshire (OS grid ref SU5049).
- A hamlet in Selworthy parish, Somerset, previously in Somerset West and Taunton district (OS grid ref SS9047; West Lynch and East Lynch also appear on OS maps).
- A minor river at Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, which joins the River Lea.
Also used as
lynch is also the alternative form of linch.
lynch meaning in Marathi, Nepali, Thai and Vietnamese
lynch in Marathi
- लिंचिंग करणे
lynch in Nepali
- लिन्च गर्न
lynch in Thai
- execute without a proper legal trial — see also take the law into one's own hands, vigilantism
- ลงประชาทัณฑ์ long-bprà-chaa-tan
lynch in Vietnamese
- execute without a proper legal trial — see also take the law into one's own hands, vigilantism
- lin-sơ, linsơ, hành quyết, hành xác
Examples of lynch in a sentence
- Lynch added: "These damaging plans are not just about ticket office closures.
- Lynch was cast as John Ford, the maker of westerns and the grand old curmudgeon of American cinema.
- Lynch added: "The Government is once again not allowing the RDG to make an improved offer that we can consider.
Synonyms of lynch
Forms of lynch
| Verb | |
|---|---|
| third-person singular present | lynches |
| present participle | lynching |
| past participle | lynched |
| past | lynched |
| Noun | |
| plural | lynches |
| Proper noun | |
| plural | Lynchs |
| plural | Lynches |
Origin of lynch
First attested 1835, from Lynch law, which 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. For the surname, see Lynch. Ultimately a possible doublet of linch.
* As an Irish surname, from Ó Loingsigh (“descendant of Loingseach”), from long (“ship”). * Also as an Irish surname of Anglo-Norman origin, from De Línse, Gaelicized from Norman/French de Lench, from Lench in Worchestershire, from Old English hlinc (“hill”).
Words formed from lynch
Phrases with lynch
Words that rhyme with lynch
Questions about lynch
- What does lynch mean?
- Lynch means to execute (somebody) without a proper legal trial or procedure, especially by hanging and backed by a mob.
- What is lynch in Marathi?
- Lynch in Marathi is लिंचिंग करणे. See Lynch meaning in Marathi.
- What part of speech is lynch?
- Lynch can be a verb or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce lynch?
- Lynch is pronounced /lɪnt͡ʃ/.
- What is the past tense of lynch?
- The past tense of lynch is lynched.
Words near lynch in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: lynch (page history and authors); Lynch (page history and authors); lynch (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); lynch (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-lynch.wav.
Cite this entry: “lynch.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/lynch. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.