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killing

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noun kill·ing \ˈki-liŋ\

Definition of killing

  1. 1 :  the act of one that kills

  2. 2 :  kill 2a

  3. 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

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Examples of killing in a Sentence

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

First Known Use of killing

15th century

2

killing

adjective kill·ing

Definition of killing

  1. 1 :  that kills or relates to killing

  2. 2 :  highly amusing

  3. 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

  1. he's usually quiet, but occasionally unleashes some killing remark that cracks everyone up

  2. a killing schedule that requires the touring company to play in a different city every night

First Known Use of killing

15th century

killing Synonyms

Synonyms
antic, chucklesome, comedic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, hilarious, humoristic, humorous, hysterical (also hysteric), funny, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, riotous, risible, screaming, sidesplitting, uproarious
Antonyms
humorless, lame, unamusing, uncomic, unfunny, unhumorous, unhysterical
Related Words
amusing, diverting, entertaining; clownish, knockabout, slapstick, slapsticky, zany; facetious, flip, flippant, pert, smart, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, snickery; jocular, playful, waggish; campy, jokey (also joky); priceless, rich, whimsical, witty, wry; blithesome, gleeful, jocose, jocund, jolly, jovial, laughing, mad, merry, mirthful
Near Antonyms
earnest, grave, no-nonsense, sedate, serious, severe, sober, sobersided, solemn, somber (or sombre), staid, unsmiling, weighty; affecting, moving, poignant, touching, tragic (also tragical); lachrymose, mournful, sad, sorrowful, tearful, woeful

Phrases Related to KILLING

Related Phrases

KILLING Defined for English Language Learners

killing

play
noun

Definition of killing for English Language Learners

  • : an act of killing someone or something

  • : a large amount of money

Learn More about killing

  1. See words that rhyme with killing Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for killing Nglish: Translation of killing for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of killing for Arabic speakers

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sad or melancholy

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Examples: killing in a Sentence