lynch mob

The term "lynch mob" refers to a group of people intent on taking the law into their own hands to punish a suspected criminal or enemy, traditionally by killing them without legal authority. The phrase derives from "Lynch law," likely named after Charles Lynch, a Virginia justice of the peace during the American Revolution who presided over extrajudicial trials. However, the term's primary historical weight comes from the 19th and 20th centuries in the United States, where it became synonymous with the campaign of racial terror in which white mobs tortured and murdered thousands of Black Americans.

In modern usage, the term is the subject of significant debate. Some speakers use it metaphorically to describe any group acting with herd mentality to aggressively attack someone's reputation or career without due process (e.g., "a social media lynch mob"). These users often argue that they are referencing the behavior of the crowd—irrational, hasty, and vindictive—rather than the specific history of racial violence. Conversely, critics and many modern style guides argue that using the term as a metaphor is deeply insensitive. They contend that equating reputational harm or political criticism with the historical reality of fatal, racially motivated violence trivializes the suffering of victims of actual lynchings.

Example:
"The historical society erected a plaque to honor the victims killed by a lynch mob in 1912."

Example:
"After the scandal broke, the celebrity claimed they were being attacked by a digital lynch mob, a choice of words that drew immediate backlash."