plural slayings
: the act of killing a person : killing, murder
—used chiefly in journalistic writing
a gangland slaying
Sunday's slayings bring to 14 the number of killings this year in what police call gang-related attacks.—
Peter Stein
Peter SteinHe is accused of ordering the 1989 slayings and robberies of three drug dealers …—Joseph P. Fried
Joseph P. FriedExamples of slaying in a Sentence
a man wanted for the slaying of seven people during an armed robbery
Recent Examples on the Web
Dennis, 53, was on Florida’s Death Row from 1999 to 2017, serving time for the April 13, 1996, slayings at Barnes’ apartment.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
The brutal slaying rocked the town, where such crimes were basically unheard of.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025
What follows is a convoluted (but campily entertaining) combination of the occult, genetic engineering and, of course, a lot of slayings.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Waldron was sentenced to 178 years to life for the slaying.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slaying
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Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
The brutal slaying rocked the town, where such crimes were basically unheard of.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025
What follows is a convoluted (but campily entertaining) combination of the occult, genetic engineering and, of course, a lot of slayings.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Waldron was sentenced to 178 years to life for the slaying.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slaying
Cite this Entry
“Slaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slaying. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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