slaying

noun

slay·​ing ˈslā-iŋ 

plural slayings

: the act of killing a person : killing, murder

—used chiefly in journalistic writing

a gangland slaying

Sunday's slayings bring to 14 the number of killings this year in what police call gang-related attacks.

—Peter Stein

He is accused of ordering the 1989 slayings and robberies of three drug dealers …

—Joseph P. Fried

Synonyms of slaying

• murder
• homicide
• killing

Examples of slaying in a Sentence

a man wanted for the slaying of seven people during an armed robbery

Recent Examples on the Web

The slaying has people in the retirement community on edge. — Sergio Candido, CBS News, 10 June 2026

The slayings rocked Weatherford, the seat of Parker County. — Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026

Sources with direct knowledge of the case have said that Nick Reiner’s schizophrenia medications had been adjusted at some point before the slayings of his parents. — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 9 June 2026

Evers' death, the first slaying of a national leader in the movement, helped lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. — Usa Today Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for slaying

• baying
• braying
• faying
• flaying
• fraying
• graying
• greying
• haying
• laying
• neighing
• paying
• playing