lynch

• IPA^(key): /lɪnt͡ʃ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪntʃ
• Homophone: 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.

lynch (third-person singular simple present lynches, present participle lynching, simple past and past participle lynched)

1. (transitive) To execute (somebody) without a proper legal trial or procedure, especially by hanging and backed by a mob.
   • 2018, “Europe's Flashpoints” (2:12 from the start), in Close Up — The Current Affairs Documentary‎^[1], episode 2, (narration regarding the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt) (actor), via Deutsche Welle TV, av-44888523, archived from the original on 31 July 2018:

     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. (transitive, colloquial, by extension) To castigate severely.
   • 2024, Louis Hagen, Suddenly an Englishman

     I telephoned Bill Brandon in Oxford and begged him to get the new refrigeration unit into production before I got lynched.

• (execute without a proper legal trial): string up

• → Czech: lynč
• → Danish: lynche
• → Esperanto: linĉi
• → French: lyncher
• → German: lynchen
• → Italian: linciare
• → Japanese: リンチ (rinchi)
• → Lithuanian: linčiúoti
• → Norwegian Bokmål: lynsje
• → Norwegian Nynorsk: lynsje
• → Russian: линчева́ть (linčevátʹ)
• → Spanish: linchar
• → Swedish: lyncha
• → Turkish: linç

• kangaroo court
• show trial

lynch (plural lynches)

1. Alternative form of linch.

lynch

1. singular imperative of lynchen
2. (colloquial) first-person singular present of lynchen