Lynch
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 Alternative form of linch. alt-of, alternative
- 1 To execute (somebody) without a proper legal trial or procedure, especially by hanging and backed by a mob. transitive
"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."
- 2 kill without legal sanction wordnet
- 3 To castigate severely. broadly, colloquial, transitive
"I telephoned Bill Brandon in Oxford and begged him to get the new refrigeration unit into production before I got lynched."
- 1 A surname from Irish. countable, uncountable
- 2 A placename; A place in the United States:; A home rule-class city in Harlan County, Kentucky. countable, uncountable
- 3 A placename; A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Kent County, Maryland. countable, uncountable
- 4 A placename; A place in the United States:; A township and village therein, in Boyd County, Nebraska. countable, uncountable
- 5 A placename; A place in the United States:; A tributary of the North Fork Rivanna River, Virginia. countable, uncountable
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A placename; A place in England:; A hamlet in Berkeley parish, Stroud district, Gloucestershire (OS grid ref ST6799). countable, uncountable
- 7 A placename; A place in England:; A hamlet in Overton parish, Basingstoke and Deane district, Hampshire (OS grid ref SU5049). countable, uncountable
- 8 A placename; A place in England:; 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). countable, uncountable
- 9 A placename; A place in England:; A minor river at Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, which joins the River Lea. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"I ran into Mr Lynch on the bus."
Etymology
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”).
Related phrases
More for "lynch"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.