kill

1 of 3

verb

killed; killing; kills

transitive verb

1
a
: to deprive of life : cause the death of
a disease that has killed thousands
He threatened to kill them.
b(1)
: to slaughter (an animal) for food
(2)
: to convert a food animal into (a kind of meat) by slaughtering
2
a
: to put an end to
kill competition
a change that could kill our chances for success
b
: defeat, veto
killed the amendment
c
: to mark for omission
also : delete
kill a quote
d
: annihilate, destroy
kill an enemy
3
a
: to destroy the vital or essential quality of
killed the pain with drugs
b
: to cause to stop
kill the motor
c
: to check the flow of current through
kill the lights
4
: to make a markedly favorable impression on
she killed the audience
5
: to get through uneventfully
kill time
also : to get through (the time of a penalty) without being scored on
kill a penalty
6
a
: to cause extreme pain to
My back is killing me.
b
: to tire almost to the point of collapse
has been killing herself to get the project done on time
7
: to hit (a shot) so hard in various games that a return is impossible
killed a backhand down the line
8
: to consume (something, such as a drink) totally
killed his drink and held out the glass.W. L. Gresham
killed two bottles of wine over dinner

intransitive verb

1
: to cause the death of a person, animal, or plant
a murderer who may kill again
an herbicide that kills on contact
if looks could kill
2
: to make a markedly favorable impression
was dressed to kill
killable adjective

kill

2 of 3

noun (1)

1
a
: an act or instance of killing
an animal moving in for the kill
b
: a decisive act that conclusively secures something (such as a deal or win)
2
: something killed: such as
a(1)
: an animal shot in a hunt
(2)
: animals killed in a hunt, season, or particular period of time
b
: an enemy unit (such as an airplane or ship) destroyed by military action
c
: a return shot in any of various games (such as badminton, handball, or table tennis) that is too hard for an opponent to handle

kill

3 of 3

noun (2)

often capitalized
: channel, creek
used chiefly in place names in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York
Choose the Right Synonym for kill

kill, slay, murder, assassinate, dispatch, execute mean to deprive of life.

kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident
frost killed the plants

slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

Examples of kill in a Sentence

Verb The disease has killed thousands of people. Three people were killed in the accident. a chemical that kills weeds a disease that can kill taking drugs to kill the pain Despite protests, the mayor killed the program. The committee killed the bill. This delay has killed our chances of finishing the project on schedule. She told him to kill the lights.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Because if James Crumbley had done even the smallest of things ... those kids wouldn't have been shot and killed in that school that day. Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 14 Mar. 2024 Authorities released body-camera footage Wednesday showing the lead-up to deputies shooting and killing a 15-year-old boy with autism who was charging at a deputy with a large gardening tool, in a case that has sparked outrage. Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 Earlier in March, a Houthi missile struck a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, killing three of its crew members and forcing survivors to abandon the vessel. Jon Gambrell, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 The deliberations come more than two years after Ethan Crumbley, then 15, used the SIG Sauer 9mm to kill four students and wound six students and a teacher at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021. Eric Levenson, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 The population loss highlights the challenges New York still faces roughly four years after the Covid-19 pandemic first paralyzed America’s largest city, killing thousands of residents and spurring many to flee to the suburbs or other states. Laura Nahmias, Bloomberg.com, 14 Mar. 2024 For five years, an elusive tormentor of animals hid from authorities in east Riverside County as 10 dogs were injured and another killed. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Trapped in isolated circumstances, the hierarchy and power reshuffle as students struggle to survive, while continuous collapses and accidents kill more students. Patrick Frater, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024 The biggest problem is how to kill the bad bugs without killing the good ones – because the good ones are the pollinators. Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 2 Mar. 2024
Noun
Servite, 25-16, 25-17, 24-26, 23-25, 23-21 Ser: Rigdon 24 kills, Truong 22 kills Santa Margarita def. Ocvarsity Sports Staff, Orange County Register, 14 Mar. 2024 Every hit is lethal — a single head stomp or arrow strike kills, and the rounds end when there’s only one (or none) left standing. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 Her first big ballad has hung on to its standing as her best big ballad, a soaring emotional prom theme for the ages that somehow breathes new life into a premise as cliched as spying someone hot across a crowded dance floor and moving in for the kill. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 The team then departed at 5:55 a.m. for the next checkpoint, arriving in Finger Lake at 8 a.m., where Seavey reported the kill. CBS News, 7 Mar. 2024 Starboard’s male companion, Port, was observed around 100 meters (328 feet) away while the kill took place and didn’t get involved. Katie Hunt, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 The kill may also tell us something about the current state and future of tank warfare. David Hambling, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Lindsey Vander Weide led the Mojo with 21 kills; La Costa Canyon High School grad Morgan Lewis added 19. Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 Though the kill site was scavenged by a bear, the crew was able to recover 76 pounds of moose meat which was later donated to the Alaska Department of Safety’s Roadkill Salvage Program. Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun (1)

Middle English, perhaps from Old English *cyllan; akin to Old English cwellan to kill — more at quell

Noun (2)

Dutch kil

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

1814, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1669, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kill was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near kill

Cite this Entry

“Kill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kill. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

kill

1 of 2 verb
1
: to deprive of life : cause the death of
2
a
: to put an end to : ruin
that killed our chances
b
: defeat entry 1 sense 1
the committee killed the bill
c
: to stop the use or functioning of
kill the lights
d
: delete
kill the last line
3
: to cause to pass
just killing time
4
: to use up completely
killed two cartons of milk

kill

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act of killing
2
: an animal killed
a lion devouring its kill

More from Merriam-Webster on kill

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