roadkill

play

noun road·kill \ ˈrōd-ˌkil \

Definition of roadkill

1 :the remains of an animal that has been killed on a road by a motor vehicle

2 :one that falls victim to intense competition

political roadkill

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road-killed

play \-ˌkild\ adjective

See roadkill defined for English-language learners

Examples of roadkill in a Sentence

There is a lot of roadkill along the highway.

Recent Examples of roadkill from the Web

The road to table movement may not exactly be popular, but according to Newsweek approximately 20 states now officially sanction roadkill salvage within certain parameters.

— jeremy henderson, AL.com, "Road to Table? Auburn University biology professor talks pros and cons of eating roadkill," 30 June 2017
That's one of the details included in a recent Newsweek story on the legality of roadkill consumption for which Steen was interviewed.

— jeremy henderson, AL.com, "Road to Table? Auburn University biology professor talks pros and cons of eating roadkill," 30 June 2017
They have been spotted below backyard bird feeders, waltzing along streets in search of their next meal and, increasingly, as roadkill.

— michael casey, chicagotribune.com, "Now thriving, bobcats could be next urban pest," 22 May 2017
To the grieving mother, Amanda, dressed all in black, is an inky crow come to pick at the roadkill of her son's wasted life.

— andrea simakis, cleveland.com, "George Brant's 'Salvage' at None Too Fragile a compelling variation on a theme by Tennessee Williams (review)," 10 May 2017
The critters are tough to study, living much of their lives underground and avoiding above-ground traps, so researchers track them via live sightings by the public and numerous reports of armadillo roadkill.

— eric betz, Discover Magazine, "Movin' On Up," 10 Mar. 2017
Then the leftish Guardian and BBC—two British organizations that are hardly Mensch’s natural allies—seemed to confirm the story, and suddenly the roadkill was cantering down the highway for all to see and Trump to claim as his pet.

— henry porter, The Hive, "Is Louise Mensch Really the Root of This Trump Fiasco?," 8 Mar. 2017
An estimated 30 to 50 million kangaroos live in Australia, making them highly susceptible to becoming roadkill.

— National Geographic, "Watch a Couple Rescue a Baby Kangaroo From Its Dead Mother's Pouch," 8 Mar. 2017
In April, biologists in India spotted a male common Asian toad on a road trying to mate with a female that had died as roadkill.

— erika engelhaupt, National Geographic, "5 Gross Animals That Won Our Hearts in 2016," 23 Dec. 2016

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

First Known Use of roadkill

1946

ROADKILL Defined for English Language Learners

roadkill

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noun

Definition of roadkill for English Language Learners

: animals that have been killed by being hit by cars and other vehicles

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roadkill

Definition of roadkill

road-killed

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roadkill

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Definition of roadkill

road-killed

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