killer instinct
noun
: an aggressive tenacious urge for domination in a struggle to attain a set goal
Examples of killer instinct in a Sentence
Her killer instincts have helped her become one of the top tennis players in the world.
Recent Examples on the Web
But with his team still looking for the killer instinct that the back-to-back title-winning squads had to put games away late, there is room to grow.
—
Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2026
Savinho, who Guardiola said on Wednesday could miss up to two months with injury, and Oscar Bobb do not quite have the killer instinct in the final third yet, either.
—Sam Lee, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
But not everyone has that same killer instinct.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Dec. 2025
One quality that distinguishes the very best chess players is killer instinct, an almost animalistic will to win.
—Jordan Himelfarb, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for killer instinct
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2026
Savinho, who Guardiola said on Wednesday could miss up to two months with injury, and Oscar Bobb do not quite have the killer instinct in the final third yet, either.
—Sam Lee, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
But not everyone has that same killer instinct.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Dec. 2025
One quality that distinguishes the very best chess players is killer instinct, an almost animalistic will to win.
—Jordan Himelfarb, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for killer instinct
Cite this Entry
“Killer instinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/killer%20instinct. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
