violence

vi·o·lence  (v-lns)

n.

1. Physical force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing: crimes of violence.

2. The act or an instance of violent action or behavior.

3. Intensity or severity, as in natural phenomena; untamed force: the violence of a tornado.

4. Abusive or unjust exercise of power.

5. Abuse or injury to meaning, content, or intent: do violence to a text.

6. Vehemence of feeling or expression; fervor.

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violence [ˈvaɪələns]

n

1. the exercise or an instance of physical force, usually effecting or intended to effect injuries, destruction, etc.

2. powerful, untamed, or devastating force the violence of the sea

3. great strength of feeling, as in language, etc.; fervour

4. an unjust, unwarranted, or unlawful display of force, esp such as tends to overawe or intimidate

do violence to

a.  to inflict harm upon; damage or violate they did violence to the prisoners

b.  to distort or twist the sense or intention of the reporters did violence to my speech

[via Old French from Latin violentia impetuosity, from violentus violent]

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Violence 

See Also: ADVANCING, BEHAVIOR

1. Battered to and fro as a rat is shaken by a dog —Rudyard Kipling
2. Came after him like an antelope —William Diehl
3. Came at him like a kamikaze —T. Coraghessan Boyle
4. Cored him like an apple —John Yount
5. Dealt out blows with the precision of a punch press —Natascha Wodin
6. Drove his fist straight in like a saber thrust —Joseph Wambaugh
7. Grabbed hold of me, as a cat grabs a mouse —George Garrett
8. Hit it [a man’s chin] as if I was driving the last spike on the first transcontinental railroad —Raymond Chandler
9. Hit like a tank —Ken Stabler and Berry Stainback
10. Howling and clawing at each other like wild beasts in heat —Hunter S. Thompson
11. I can flatten him out like a crepe in a frying-pan —Henry Van Dyke
12. I could slice you down like cold meat before you could whisper Mercy —Davis Grubb

    In Grubb’s novel, The Golden Sickle, the man making this threat is wielding a knife.

13. I’ll crush his ribs in like a rotten hazelnut —Emily Bronte
14. I’m gonna pop your eyes like busted eggs —William Kennedy
15. Knocked to the ground like a winged partridge —T. Coraghessan Boyle
16. Lunged [into the midst of group of people] like a whirlwind on a summer’s day —Flannery O’Connor
17. [Mobster Sam Giancana, who) ordered killings as easily as he ordered linguini —Kitty Kelley
18. The propensity for violence exists like a layer of buried molten magma underlying all human topography —Robert Ardrey
19. Put me in an arm lock as easily as he might twist a soft pretzel —James Crumley
20. Showered her blows … with the force and rapidity of a drummer beating his drum —Guy De Maupassant
21. Slapped her like a volleyball —Rochelle Ratner
22. Terorism is a natural by-product of modern life. Like air pollution, family breakdown, excessively casual sexual promiscuity and exaltation of greed —Russell Baker, New York Times, 1986
23. Threw themselves at him like dogs at a bear —Mikhail Bulgakov
24. Violence and wrong are as a dream which rolls from steadfast truth, an unreturning stream —Percy Bysshe Shelley
25. Violence (was an inescapable factor of the heart … ) an ineradicable thing … like a bad seed —William March
26. Violence in a house is like a worm on vegetables —Hebrew proverb
27. Violence is as American as cherry pie —Eldridge Cleaver
28. The violence of my impulses [to harm another person] was still within me, like the sharp end of a splinter improperly removed —Scott Spencer
29. Violence weighed him down like a pack —Harris Downey
30. Violent and ruthless as a puppy —James Mills
31. Violent death is like a monster. The closer you get to it, the more damage you sustain —Sue Grafton
32. Violent death leaves an aura, like an energy field that repels the observer —Sue Grafton
33. Was on him like a falling tree —Jerry Bumpus
34. A wound like a burst fruit —Jean Stafford

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	violence - an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists); "he may accomplish by craft in the long run what he cannot do by force and violence in the short one" force aggression, hostility - violent action that is hostile and usually unprovoked domestic violence - violence or physical abuse directed toward your spouse or domestic partner; usually violence by men against women road rage - violence exhibited by drivers in traffic public violence, riot - a public act of violence by an unruly mob
	2.	violence - the property of being wild or turbulent; "the storm's violence" ferocity, fierceness, furiousness, vehemence, wildness, fury intensiveness, intensity - high level or degree; the property of being intense savageness, savagery - the property of being untamed and ferocious; "the coastline is littered with testaments to the savageness of the waters"; "a craving for barbaric splendor, for savagery and color and the throb of drums"
	3.	violence - a turbulent state resulting in injuries and destruction etc. Sturm und Drang, upheaval, turbulence - a state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally); "the industrial revolution was a period of great turbulence" rage - violent state of the elements; "the sea hurled itself in thundering rage against the rocks"

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violence

noun

1. brutality, bloodshed, savagery, fighting, terrorism, frenzy, thuggery, destructiveness, bestiality, strong-arm tactics (informal), rough handling, bloodthirstiness, murderousness Twenty people were killed in the violence.

2. force, power, strength, might, ferocity, brute force, fierceness, forcefulness, powerfulness The violence of the blow forced the hammer through his skull.

3. intensity, passion, fury, force, cruelty, severity, fervour, sharpness, harshness, vehemence `There's no need,' she snapped with sudden violence.

4. power, turbulence, wildness, raging, tumult, roughness, boisterousness, storminess The house was destroyed in the violence of the storm.

Quotations
"All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword" Bible: St. Matthew
"Violence is one of the most fun things to watch" [Quentin Tarantino at the screening of Pulp Fiction in Cannes]
"Keep violence in the mind"
"Where it belongs" [Brian Aldiss Barefoot in the Head]

Translations

violence [ˈvaɪələns] n

(= physical aggression) → violence f
Twenty people were killed in the violence → Vingt personnes ont été tuées dans cette éruption de violence.
acts of violence → actes de violence

(= force) [feelings, tone, action] → violence f

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violence

n

(= forcefulness, strength) → Heftigkeit f; (of protest) → Schärfe f, → Heftigkeit f; (of speech also) → Leidenschaftlichkeit f; the violence of the contrast → der krasse Gegensatz; the violence of his temper → sein jähzorniges Temperament, seine Jähzornigkeit

(= brutality) → Gewalt f; (of people) → Gewalttätigkeit f; (of actions) → Brutalität f; the violence of his nature → seine gewalttätige Art; crime of violence → Gewaltverbrechen nt; act of violence → Gewalttat f; robbery with violence → Raubüberfall m; an increase in violence → eine Zunahme der Gewalttätigkeit; to use violence against somebody → Gewalt gegen jdn anwenden; was there any violence? → kam es zu Gewalttätigkeiten?; outbreak of violence → Ausbruch m → von Gewalttätigkeiten

(fig) to do violence to something → etw entstellen; it does violence to the human spirit → das vergewaltigt den gesunden Menschenverstand

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violence [ˈvaɪələns] n → violenza (Pol) → incidenti mpl violenti
outbreaks of violence → episodi di violenza
acts of violence → atti di violenza
robbery with violence → rapina a mano armata
to do violence to sth (fig) → fare violenza a qc

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violence → عنف násilí vold Gewalt βία violencia väkivalta violence nasilje violenza 暴力 폭력 geweld vold przemoc violência насилие våld ความรุนแรง şiddet tính bạo lực 暴力