no-kill

adjective

ˈnō-ˈkil 

: having or being a policy that prohibits killing

a no-kill fishing tournament

especially : having or being a policy that prohibits or severely limits the euthanizing of animals in a shelter

"I will spare no expense on veterinary care for our pets," says Renee, who has nine cats and is on the board of a no-kill shelter.

—Catherine Fredman

… shelters can euthanize up to 10 percent of their animals for reasons of health and temperament, and still be considered "no-kill."

—Greg Allen

Examples of no-kill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Safari Park works, for instance, with the Northern Rangelands Trust and Loisaba Conservancy in Kenya, with an emphasis on studying human-elephant conflict and finding no-kill resolutions. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026

They’ve been committed to no-kill since 2015, just recently reaching the 90% save rate required. —Jeffrey F. Bill, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2026

The Krafts are looking to partner with Big Dog Ranch, the country’s largest cage-free, no-kill rescue, to retrofit a property near Patriot Place into a satellite shelter that focuses on dogs for veterans. —Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 24 Jan. 2026

The nonprofit works with pet food suppliers that ship directly to partnering no-kill shelters. —René Guzman, San Antonio Express-News, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for no-kill

• anthill
• backfill
• bluegill
• crossbill
• distil
• distill
• downhill
• dunghill
• foothill
• fulfil
• fulfill
• goodwill