killing

1 of 2

noun

kill·​ing ˈki-liŋ 

1

: the act of one that kills

2

: kill sense 2a

3

: a sudden notable gain or profit

made a killing in the stock market

killing

2 of 2

adjective

1

: that kills or relates to killing

2

: highly amusing

3

: extremely difficult to deal with

the suspense is killing

also : calling for great strength, stamina, or endurance

a killing schedule

killingly

ˈki-liŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

Adjective

• antic
• chucklesome
• comedic
• comic
• comical
• droll
• farcical
• funny
• hilarious
• humoristic
• humorous
• hysterical
• hysteric
• laughable
• ludicrous
• ridiculous
• riotous
• risible
• screaming
• sidesplitting
• uproarious

Examples of killing in a Sentence

Noun

The oil spill is responsible for the killing of thousands of birds.

Adjective

he's usually quiet, but occasionally unleashes some killing remark that cracks everyone up

a killing schedule that requires the touring company to play in a different city every night

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The cash had been agreed upon as half of the total payment to the agent, who Russell told to make her ex-husband's killing look like a suicide. —Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 22 Apr. 2024

Anderson, 33, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and mutilation of a corpse in the killing earlier this month of Sade Carleena Robinson. —Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 22 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing killing

• honor killing
• killing field
• mercy killing
• the suspense is killing me

Kids Definition

killing

noun

kill·​ing

ˈkil-iŋ

: a sudden large profit