murder

¹mur·der

noun \ˈmər-dər\

Definition of MURDER

1

: the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought

2

a : something very difficult or dangerous <the traffic was murder>

b : something outrageous or blameworthy <getting away with murder>

Examples of MURDER

1. She was accused of murder.
2. the mass murder of civilians in wartime
3. a string of unsolved murders
4. Traffic is murder this time of day.

Origin of MURDER

partly from Middle English murther, from Old English morthor; partly from Middle English murdre, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English morthor; akin to Old High German mord murder, Latin mort-, mors death, mori to die, mortuus dead, Greek brotos mortal

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to MURDER

Synonyms

agony, Gehenna, horror, misery, hell, nightmare, torment, torture

Antonyms

heaven, paradise

Related Words

affliction, calvary, cross, curse, ordeal, trial, tribulation; calamity, misfortune, tragedy; gall, thorn; bummer, downer, drag

Near Antonyms

delight, diversion, entertainment, fun, joy, pleasure, recreation; lark, picnic, riot

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

Rhymes with MURDER

birder, girder, herder

²murder

verb

mur·deredmur·der·ing \ˈmər-d(ə-)riŋ\

Definition of MURDER

transitive verb

1

: to kill (a human being) unlawfully and with premeditated malice

2

: to slaughter wantonly : slay

3

a : to put an end to

b : tease, torment

c : mutilate, mangle <murders French>

d : to defeat badly

intransitive verb

: to commit murder

Examples of MURDER

1. He was arrested and accused of murdering his wife.
2. His wife was found murdered.
3. a dictator who is responsible for murdering thousands of innocent people
4. The band murdered that song.

First Known Use of MURDER

13th century

Related to MURDER

Synonyms

assassinate, bump off, croak [slang], dispatch, do in, execute, get, ice [slang], knock off, liquidate, neutralize, off [slang], put away, rub out, slay, snuff, take out, terminate, whack [slang], do away with

Related Words

blow away, shoot, shoot down; blot out, carry off, claim, cut down, destroy, fell, kill, smite, zap; butcher, massacre, mow (down), slaughter; annihilate, eliminate, eradicate, exterminate, wipe out

Near Antonyms

animate, raise, restore, resurrect, resuscitate, revive

See Synonym Discussion at kill