killing

noun kill·ing \ ˈki-liŋ \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Examples: killing in a Sentence

Definition of killing

1 : the act of one that kills

2 : kill 2a

3 : a sudden notable gain or profit

made a killing in the stock market

See killing defined for English-language learners

See killing defined for kids

Examples of killing in a Sentence

The oil spill is responsible for the killing of thousands of birds.

Recent Examples of killing from the Web

A few years ago, in California, an ex-cop entered my home with a video camera, waving mug shots and ranting about gangland killings.

— greg burton, azcentral, "Threats and attacks on journalists aren't rare. They also don't deter us.," 30 June 2018
During Trump’s campaign, when asked by MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough about Putin’s killing of journalists.

— trudy rubin, Philly.com, "After Maryland shooting, Trump must quit embracing autocrats who squash the press | Trudy Rubin," 29 June 2018
According to Molina, Schroeder allegedly texted Helm about the killing.

— steve helling, PEOPLE.com, "Girl, 15, Allegedly Killed Mom and Burned Body Because She Feared Disapproval of Same-Sex Relationship," 22 June 2018
Mari’s alleged shooter, Walter Samuel Radford, left the scene in his Ford pickup truck and called his wife to tell her about the killing, police said.

— raisa habersham, ajc, "Funeral set for prominent attorney killed at law office," 22 June 2018
Villarreal had told a friend about the killing, and the friend called police, WOAI reported at the time of Estrada’s death.

— jared gilmour, star-telegram, "Texas man was ‘paranoid’ about hidden cameras. He murdered his boyfriend over it, prosecutors say," 21 June 2018
Police encourage anyone with information about the killings to contact Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-756-2587.

— erin cox, baltimoresun.com, "Three dead, two more shot in overnight violence, Baltimore police say," 17 June 2018
The younger Froste was accused of knowing about the killing a day later but failing to alert authorities.

— nashelly chavez, sacbee, "Yolo County Sheriff's Office, FBI search rural area for bodies of missing teens," 12 June 2018
The blood sport, billed as family entertainment in Florida a half century ago, has been pushed deep underground, pursued only in secret unlicensed arenas like the one where the patrons quickly flew the coop after the brazen killing.

— david ovalle, miamiherald, "Who shot the cockfight ref? Secret arena outside Miami was packed but nobody's talking," 12 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'killing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of killing

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

killing

adjective

Definition of killing

1 : that kills or relates to killing

2 : highly amusing

3 : extremely difficult to deal with

the suspense is killing

; also : calling for great strength, stamina, or endurance

a killing schedule

—

killingly

play \ˈki-liŋ-lē\ adverb

Examples of killing in a Sentence

he's usually quiet, but occasionally unleashes some killing remark that cracks everyone up
a killing schedule that requires the touring company to play in a different city every night

Recent Examples of killing from the Web

The release last week of about 2,100 pages of police reports, witness statements and dispatch logs provided more detail about the chaos, confusion and heroism as the concert venue became a killing field.

— Washington Post, "Video shows police response, fleeing crowd at Vegas attack," 30 May 2018
The cast sculpture comprises two main pieces, interlocking where the mouth of the lion meets the neck of the dog — the killing moment frozen in time.

— New York Times, "Charles Ray, Walking a Fine Line With a Hungry Lion," 13 May 2018
Earlier this year, a forensic linguist shed new light on letters supposedly written by the murderer during the killing spree that sent shockwaves through Victorian London.

— james rogers, Fox News, "Chilling 'I am Jack the Ripper' postcard resurfaces," 26 Apr. 2018
Grace believes Carl, who may have dementia, murdered her sister years ago during a killing spree.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "5 new mysteries to read this summer," 17 May 2018
The Riverside man also bought Farook an explosive powder that was used in a bomb that Farook left at the killing scene, authorities said.

— Fox News, "25 years urged for buyer of rifles used in terror attack," 10 Apr. 2018
Prediction for the season: What's next for Salazar, the former Sombra Negra soldier who was last seen in the thick of a killing spree?

— josh wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Fear the Walking Dead': Where Everyone Left Off and What's Next (After the Big Crossover)," 8 Apr. 2018
The broader trends offer no surprises: executions are down, but Texas is still the nation's killingest state.

— keri blakinger, Houston Chronicle, "71 percent of scheduled executions not carried out in 2017," 20 Dec. 2017
Some may call it killing time; Ms. Shestakovskaia thinks of it as research.

— bonnie wertheim, New York Times, "The Maximalists Are Coming," 4 Oct. 2017