slaying

noun

slay·​ing ˈslā-iŋ 

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

He is accused of ordering the 1989 slayings and robberies of three drug dealers …

—Joseph P. Fried

Synonyms of slaying

• murder
• homicide
• killing

Examples of slaying in a Sentence

a man wanted for the slaying of seven people during an armed robbery

Recent Examples on the Web

One of those witnesses included Brendan Miller, a digital forensics examiner at the department who concluded that there was no indication that Christine Banfield lost control of her devices before the slayings. —CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026

Surveillance cameras recorded the slaying. —Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026

After allegedly carrying out the slayings, Vito called 911 to report the incident and waited for police outside the store. —Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026

Los Angeles police solved more than two thirds of all homicides citywide in 2025, a year that ended with the fewest number of slayings in six decades, according to statistics presented by local authorities on Thursday. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for slaying

• baying
• braying
• faying
• flaying
• fraying
• graying
• greying
• haying
• laying
• neighing
• paying
• playing