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

On the day of the slaying, Lockhart had suspected that his girlfriend was cheating on him. — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 24 July 2026

Isabelle Johnson, 38, has been charged in the slaying of 43-year-old Jason Christopher Coulthart, the Walton County Sheriff's Office announced. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2026

The couple’s daughter was being babysat elsewhere by relatives when the slaying occurred, Tatiana’s uncle said. — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 9 July 2026

Investigators have identified two suspects in the slayings, but neither has been charged or named publicly. — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 7 July 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