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
Now, more than a year after the man’s death, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s detectives have arrested a woman in connection to his slaying.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
The slaying of the serpent was a mythological superspreader, mutating and proliferating across the Indo-European world and beyond.
—Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
The execution-style slaying was caught on camera, with prosecutors alleging Mangione targeted Thompson due to financial and corporate disputes.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
In December 2022, Kohberger was charged with four counts of murder and one count of felony burglary for the slayings of Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slaying
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Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
The slaying of the serpent was a mythological superspreader, mutating and proliferating across the Indo-European world and beyond.
—Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
The execution-style slaying was caught on camera, with prosecutors alleging Mangione targeted Thompson due to financial and corporate disputes.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
In December 2022, Kohberger was charged with four counts of murder and one count of felony burglary for the slayings of Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 11 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 18 Oct. 2025.
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