- Main Entry:
- 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>.
