1
: one that kills
2
3
a
: one that has a forceful, violent, or striking impact
b
: one that is extremely difficult to deal with
1
: strikingly impressive or effective
a killer smile
a killer résumé
2
: extremely difficult to deal with
a killer fastball
also
: causing death or devastation
a killer tornado
Examples of killer in a Sentence
Noun
Heart disease is the leading killer of both men and women.
The chemical is used as a weed killer.
Adjective
killer viruses that claimed millions of lives
a killer exercise program guaranteed to whip you into shape
Recent Examples on the Web
Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 17 Dec. 2025
This is especially pertinent as heart disease is the biggest killer of women.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 16 Dec. 2025
The attack was captured on CATS' surveillance footage and showed the young commuter cowering as her alleged killer towered behind her.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 15 Dec. 2025
This Is Spinal Tap stars Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean as the core members of Spinal Tap, a dopey metal band with some killer riffs and an unfortunate habit of killing drummers.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for killer
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Hypersonic missile-killer race Until now, Europe has pursued two parallel projects aimed at countering hypersonic threats, weapons that travel faster than five times the speed of sound and can maneuver unpredictably, complicating interception.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 17 Dec. 2025
This is especially pertinent as heart disease is the biggest killer of women.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 16 Dec. 2025
The attack was captured on CATS' surveillance footage and showed the young commuter cowering as her alleged killer towered behind her.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 15 Dec. 2025
This Is Spinal Tap stars Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean as the core members of Spinal Tap, a dopey metal band with some killer riffs and an unfortunate habit of killing drummers.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for killer
Cite this Entry
“Killer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/killer. Accessed 24 Dec. 2025.
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