Definition of murder
1 : the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought was convicted of murder
2a : something very difficult or dangerous the traffic was murder carrying the luggage was murder on my backb : something outrageous or blameworthy getting away with murder
3 : a flock of crows There's a reason the proper term for a flock of them is a murder of crows, and it's not because we like having them around. — Jeffrey Kluger
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Examples of murder in a Sentence
She was accused of murder.
the mass murder of civilians in wartime
a string of unsolved murders
Traffic is murder this time of day.
Origin and Etymology of murder
partly from Middle English murther, from Old English morthor; partly from Middle English murdre, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English morthor; akin to Old High German mord murder, Latin mort-, mors death, mori to die, mortuus dead, Greek brotos mortal
First Known Use: before 12th century
Other Legal Terms
Examples of murder in a Sentence
He was arrested and accused of murdering his wife.
His wife was found murdered.
a dictator who is responsible for murdering thousands of innocent people
The band murdered that song.
Origin and Etymology of murder
see 1murder
First Known Use: 13th century
Synonym Discussion of murder
MURDER Defined for English Language Learners
murder
playDefinition of murder for English Language Learners
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: the crime of deliberately killing a person
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: something that is very difficult or unpleasant
murder
Definition of murder for English Language Learners
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: to kill (a person) in a deliberate and unlawful way : to commit the murder of (someone)
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: to spoil or ruin (something) : to perform (something) very badly
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: to defeat (an opponent) very badly
MURDER Defined for Kids
Definition of murder for Students
: the intentional and unlawful killing of a human being
Definition of murder for Students
murdered
;murdering
1 : to kill (someone) intentionally and unlawfully
2 : to spoil or ruin by performing or using badly murder a song
murderer
nounLaw Dictionary
Legal Definition of murder
: the crime of unlawfully and unjustifiably killing another under circumstances defined by statute (as with premeditation); especially : such a crime committed purposely, knowingly, and recklessly with extreme indifference to human life or during the course of a serious felony (as robbery or rape) — compare cold blood, cooling time, homicide, manslaughter Editor's note: Self-defense, necessity, and lack of capacity for criminal responsibility (as because of insanity) are defenses to a charge of murder. Most state statutes and the U.S. Code divide murder into two degrees. Florida, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania currently have three degrees of murder. Some states do not assign degrees of murder. depraved–heart murder \di-ˈprāvd-ˈhärt-\ : a murder that is the result of an act which is dangerous to others and shows that the perpetrator has a depraved mind and no regard for human life Editor's note: Depraved-heart murder is usually considered second- or third-degree murder. felony murder : a murder that occurs in the commission of a serious felony (as burglary or sexual battery) — compare misdemeanor-manslaughter at manslaughter Editor's note: Felony murder is usually considered first-degree murder. Felony murder does not require specific intent to kill, and an accessory to the felony may also be charged with the murder. first–degree murder : a murder that is committed with premeditation or during the course of a serious felony (as kidnapping) or that otherwise (as because of extreme cruelty) requires the most serious punishment under the law second–degree murder : a murder that is committed without premeditation but with some intent (as general or transferred intent) or other circumstances not covered by the first-degree murder statute third–degree murder : a murder that is not first- or second-degree murder: as a : a murder committed in the perpetration of a felony not listed in the first-degree murder statute b : depraved-heart murder in this entry
Origin and Etymology of murder
partly from Old English morthor; partly from Old French murdre, of Germanic origin
murder
Legal Definition of murder
: to kill (a human being) unlawfully and under circumstances constituting murder
intransitive verb
Learn More about murder
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See words that rhyme with murder Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for murder Spanish Central: Translation of murder Nglish: Translation of murder for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of murder for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about murder
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