slay

verb

ˈslā 

slew ˈslü  also especially in sense 2 slayed; slain ˈslān  ; slaying; slays

1

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

2

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

3

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

Synonyms of slay

• kill
• destroy

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

Examples of slay in a Sentence

The knight slew the dragon.

millions have been slain worldwide by this dreadful disease

Recent Examples on the Web

Scarlett Johansson has officially been tapped to lead the latest entry in the demon-slaying film series that began with the 1973 Oscar winner starring Ellen Burstyn. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Nov. 2025

Granier never slayed dragons, led armies into battles, blew up Death Stars. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2025

Lee Harvey Oswald was accused of carrying out the shooting from the window of a book depository, and Oswald was slain by Jack Ruby days later. —Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 22 Nov. 2025

The Associated Press learned the identities of four of the men - and pieced together details about at least five others - who were slain, providing the first detailed account of those who died in the strikes. —NPR, 8 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English slen, from Old English slēan to strike, slay; akin to Old High German slahan to strike, Middle Irish slachta stricken

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for slay

• ay
• bay
• bey
• brae
• cay
• chez
• dey
• dray
• fay
• fey
• flay
• fray

Kids Definition

slay

verb

ˈslā 

slew ˈslü  ; slain ˈslān  ; slaying

: to put to death violently or in great numbers

slayer noun