kill

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verb

ˈkil

killed; killing; kills

transitive verb

: to deprive of life : cause the death of

a disease that has killed thousands

He threatened to kill them.

b(1)

: to slaughter (an animal) for food

(2)

: to convert a food animal into (a kind of meat) by slaughtering

: to put an end to

kill competition

a change that could kill our chances for success

: defeat, veto

killed the amendment

: to mark for omission

also : delete

kill a quote

: annihilate, destroy

kill an enemy

: to destroy the vital or essential quality of

killed the pain with drugs

: to cause to stop

kill the motor

: to check the flow of current through

kill the lights

: to make a markedly favorable impression on

she killed the audience

: to get through uneventfully

kill time

also : to get through (the time of a penalty) without being scored on

kill a penalty

: to cause extreme pain to

My back is killing me.

: to tire almost to the point of collapse

has been killing herself to get the project done on time

: to hit (a shot) so hard in various games that a return is impossible

killed a backhand down the line

: to consume (something, such as a drink) totally

… killed his drink and held out the glass.

W. L. Gresham

killed two bottles of wine over dinner

intransitive verb

: to cause the death of a person, animal, or plant

a murderer who may kill again

an herbicide that kills on contact

if looks could kill

: to make a markedly favorable impression

was dressed to kill

killable

ˈki-lə-bəl

adjective

kill

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noun (1)

: an act or instance of killing

an animal moving in for the kill

: a decisive act that conclusively secures something (such as a deal or win)

: something killed: such as

a(1)

: an animal shot in a hunt

(2)

: animals killed in a hunt, season, or particular period of time

: an enemy unit (such as an airplane or ship) destroyed by military action

: a return shot in any of various games (such as badminton, handball, or table tennis) that is too hard for an opponent to handle

kill

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noun (2)

often capitalized

: channel, creek

—used chiefly in place names in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York

Choose the Right Synonym for kill

kill, slay, murder, assassinate, dispatch, execute mean to deprive of life.

kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident

frost killed the plants

slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

Example Sentences

Verb The disease has killed thousands of people. Three people were killed in the accident. a chemical that kills weeds a disease that can kill taking drugs to kill the pain Despite protests, the mayor killed the program. The committee killed the bill. This delay has killed our chances of finishing the project on schedule. She told him to kill the lights. See More