Search "kill" in:
Browse words next to:
Browse the Dictionary:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
#

kill

9 entries found.



Main Entry:
1kill Listen to the pronunciation of 1kill
Pronunciation:
\ˈkil\
Function:
verb
Etymology:
Middle English, perhaps from Old English *cyllan; akin to Old English cwellan to kill — more at quell
Date:
14th century
transitive verb1 a: to deprive of life : cause the death of b (1): to slaughter (as a hog) for food (2): to convert a food animal into (a kind of meat) by slaughtering2 a: to put an end to <kill competition> b: defeat, veto <killed the amendment> c: to mark for omission; also : delete d: annihilate, destroy <kill an enemy>3 a: to destroy the vital or essential quality of <killed the pain with drugs> b: to cause to stop <kill the motor> c: to check the flow of current through4: to make a markedly favorable impression on <she killed the audience>5: to get through uneventfully <kill time>; also : to get through (the time of a penalty) without being scored on <kill a penalty>6 a: to cause extreme pain to b: to tire almost to the point of collapse7: to hit (a shot) so hard in various games that a return is impossible8: to consume (as a drink) totallyintransitive verb1: to deprive one of life2: to make a markedly favorable impression <was dressed to kill>
synonyms 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>.
Learn more about "kill" and related topics at Britannica.com


Share this entry:    Share this word with digg Share this word with reddit Share this word with technorati Share this word with del.icio.us Share this word with furl Share this word with stumbleupon Share this word with google Share this word with blinklist Share this word with newsvine Share this word with facebook Share this word with myspace

Link to this page:   


Cite this page: