View synonyms for

death squad

noun

any of various groups of assassins, especially in Central America, whose members murder political dissidents, petty criminals, etc., usually with the tacit approval of the government.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of death squad¹

First recorded in 1965–70

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

This, if true, had abandoned them to the death squads.

From

His administration ultimately collapsed in a mire of scandals that ended with Fujimori in prison for embezzling government funds and maintaining extrajudicial death squads.

From

The death squads were on the payroll of the police, if not actually being the police themselves.

From

A chilling scene finds him testing the vision of a man identified as the leader of a village death squad.

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Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has admitted that he kept a "death squad" to crack down on crime while mayor of one of the country's largest cities.

From

death spiral death tax

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