kill off

verb

killed off; killing off; kills off

transitive verb

: to destroy in large numbers or totally

Examples of kill off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, some fans have speculated that JJ was killed off because of an alleged feud between Pankow and Bailey. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 20 Aug. 2026

But the rise of online retail killed off much of its business, leaving huge indoor stretches vacant. — Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026

Getting killed off in the first installment of a film series would traditionally prevent an actor from playing that role five more times in the next 15 years. — Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026

The clever idea gets around the biggest hurdle of bringing back the Sons cast — most of the major characters were killed off during the course of the show. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kill off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff