Mowdown

Mowdown is both a verb and a noun in English. As a verb phrase, to mow down means to strike down or overwhelm someone with great speed or force, especially with firearms or a vehicle, often resulting in multiple casualties. As a noun, mowdown denotes an incident in which many people are killed or seriously injured in such a manner, typically described in news reporting as a mass casualty event.

The term derives from mowing grass, implying a sweeping, indiscriminate cutting down. The metaphor has been used in military and civilian contexts since the early 20th century; its current meaning in mass-violence reporting is well established by the late 20th century.

In journalism, mowdown is common in headlines and articles about shootings or vehicle-ramming attacks. The word connotes rapid, indiscriminate violence and is sometimes criticized as sensationalist. The phrase can be hyphenated as “mow-down” when used as an adjective or verb form, though the noun form typically appears as mowdown or mow-down.

Related terms include mass shooting, casualty, and vehicle-ramming attack. Mowdown may also appear in titles of works in fiction or media, though usage varies and is not uniformly applied.