slay

verb

ˈslā

slew ˈslü

also especially in sense 2 slayed; slain ˈslān

; slaying; slays

Synonyms of slay next

transitive : to kill violently, wantonly, or in great numbers

slay the enemy

This was the appearance of a dreadful epidemic which in that age, and long before and afterward, was wont to slay its hundreds and thousands on both sides of the Atlantic.—

Nathaniel Hawthorne

broadly : to strike down : kill

slay a dragon

"It's a lot easier to slay a vampire with a stake in the heart than it is to slay some of our demons that are in our heads." —

Rachel T. Hill

transitive, informal : to delight or amuse immensely

slayed the audience

… [Seth Rogen] is currently slaying critics with Superbad, which he co-wrote with Evan Goldberg.—

Tanner Stransky

transitive + intransitive, informal : to do something or perform exceptionally well or impressively : to be exceptionally impressive

From the Let Girls Learn initiative to her Vogue covers, [Yara Shahidi] slays it all.—

Rebecca Sun

Beyoncé did not come to this year's Grammy Awards just to slay, she came to make a statement.—

Jackie Fields

From the red carpet to her sure-to-be epic performance, one thing is for certain—she's gonna slay.—

Quinn Keaney

slayer noun

Choose the Right Synonym for slay

kill, slay, murder, assassinate, dispatch, execute mean to deprive of life.

kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident

frost killed the plants

slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

Example Sentences

The knight slew the dragon. millions have been slain worldwide by this dreadful disease

Recent Examples on the Web The athlete continued to slay her pandemic style with Cordae by her side. —

Diane J. Cho, Peoplemag, 11 Jan. 2023 Last season saw the aversion of the first crisis but what's summer without a sequel and the second crisis is here to slay. —

Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 4 Jan. 2023 Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended in 2003, but Sarah Michelle Gellar continues to slay. —

Good Housekeeping Editors, Good Housekeeping, 2 Jan. 2023 For the first time ever, the finale featured all women in its lineup — the Harp and the Lambs — and these ladies came to slay. —

Lauren Huff, EW.com, 1 Dec. 2022 Fortunately, Germany finds itself in the other, where there may even be a kindly last 16 draw, a chance of a quarterfinal, an opportunity to slay ghosts and, perhaps, seek glory. —

Rory Smith, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2022 The following year, Clooney teamed up with Game of Thrones's Natalie Dormer, to slay a dragon before walking off the film set to get a coffee in real-life New York City. —

Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2022 Every spooky season, celebrities come to slay with their costumes. —

Christian Allaire, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2022 On that summer night in London, Princess Diana came to slay. —

Dina Gachman, Glamour, 17 Nov. 2022 See More

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