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. Fried
Examples of slaying in a Sentence
a man wanted for the slaying of seven people during an armed robbery
Recent Examples on the Web
At the time of the slayings, Smith, 67, and his wife, Anna, ran a popular diner, Smith’s Restaurant, in the unincorporated town of Prunedale, about eight miles north of Salinas on Highway 101.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2024
Lawyers for Ramos sought to prove the defendant had an intelligence disability, disqualifying him from facing the death penalty in the slaying of Sacramento police Officer Tara O’Sullivan.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 29 June 2024
The top mafioso, convicted of masterminding some of Italy’s most heinous slayings – including the killings of prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino – subsequently died in September 2023 in a maximum-security prison.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 27 June 2024
Andrews was shot to death, in a slaying that stunned the community.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for slaying 
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2024
Lawyers for Ramos sought to prove the defendant had an intelligence disability, disqualifying him from facing the death penalty in the slaying of Sacramento police Officer Tara O’Sullivan.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 29 June 2024
The top mafioso, convicted of masterminding some of Italy’s most heinous slayings – including the killings of prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino – subsequently died in September 2023 in a maximum-security prison.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 27 June 2024
Andrews was shot to death, in a slaying that stunned the community.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for slaying
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slaying.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Slaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slaying. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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