an act of mass destruction and loss of life (especially in war or by fire)
"a nuclear holocaust"
the mass murder of Jews under the German Nazi regime from 1941 until 1945
"The Holocaust was the systematic genocide in which six million Jewish people were murdered by the Nazi regime during World War II."
A sacrifice that is completely burned to ashes.
"The ancient ritual required a holocaust, where the entire animal was sacrificed and burned until nothing but ash remained."
In plain English: A holocaust is an extremely large and terrible event where many people are killed, often by force during wartime.
"The historical holocaust refers to the genocide carried out by Nazi Germany during World War II."
Usage: The term holocaust refers specifically to the systematic mass murder of six million Jews during World War II, not a general ritual sacrifice or fire. Avoid using it as a synonym for any large-scale tragedy involving death by other means.
To sacrifice and burn (an animal) completely.
"The term holocaust is sometimes written in all lowercase when used generically to mean subject to a mass annihilation."
Alternative letter-case form of holocaust (“subject to a mass annihilation; destroy en masse”).
In plain English: To holocaust is not something people do; it means to destroy completely, but this word should only be used when talking about the terrible historical event where many innocent people were killed by hate groups during World War II.
"The massive fire in the warehouse threatened to holocaust all the stored goods if not extinguished quickly."
The systematic mass murder (genocide) of 6 million Jews perpetrated by Nazi Germany shortly before and during World War II.
"The Holocaust was a horrific period in history when Nazi Germany systematically murdered six million Jewish people alongside millions of others just before and during World War II."
The word holocaust comes from the Ancient Greek term for a "wholly burnt" sacrifice. It entered English through French and Latin to describe an offering completely consumed by fire on an altar.