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

• carry off
• claim
• croak [slang]
• destroy
• dispatch
• do in
• fell
• kill
• take

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

All were among the 185 slain in Kansas City during 2023. —Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024

The slaughterhouses and packing plants that sprang up in Chicago in the late 1800s, for instance, concealed the brutality of their slaying methods—cows battered in the head, the occasional still-living pig dunked in boiling water—behind closed factory doors. —Ben Goldfarb, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024

Spitz also was consulted in the 1996 death of JonBenet Ramsey, the child beauty pageant, who, at 6, was slain in her Boulder, Colorado, home. —Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2024

The deceased teen, whom authorities did not publicly identify, is the second juvenile to be slain in the District and the first homicide reported inside a train station this year. —Emily Davies, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024

Irving and Avion were the second and third juveniles slain since the beginning of the year. —Emily Davies, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

Even if Iger and the board emerge victorious on Wednesday, Peltz and other restless investors have not been forever slayed, especially if the margin of the board vote is slimmer than Disney may prefer. —Oliver Darcy, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024

Then Darrion Trammell, who slayed No. 1 Alabama a season ago and put a dagger into Creighton. —Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024

Whether her character is raising awareness around a town-wide health risk or slaying strangers for the sake of love, Pedretti pushes beyond the confines of the nurturing role — and has fun with it too. —Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2024

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

Kids Definition

slay

verb

ˈslā 

slew ˈslü  ; slain ˈslān  ; slaying

: to put to death violently or in great numbers

slayer noun