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entretuer

to kill one another

verb sahn-truh-tü-EH Rare
People & Society Military

Usage Note

S'entretuer is always used reflexively (s'entretuer) and describes mutual killing, typically in war or conflict. It is formed from entre- (between/mutual) + tuer (to kill). The construction emphasises reciprocity — no single aggressor — and appears frequently in descriptions of civil wars or fratricidal strife.

Examples

"Les soldats s'entretuaient dans la tranchée."

Natural Translation

The soldiers were killing each other in the trench.

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