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

That dynamic was on full display in his response to the brutal slaying of actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, over the weekend. —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025

Nick Reiner, 32, faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of the slayings, which occurred at his parents’ home. —Dan Mangan, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025

Nunez is the third journalist killed by organized crime in Peru in 2025, following the slayings of journalists Gaston Medina and Raul Celis. —CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025

Prosecutors have alleged two potential motives in the slaying. —Michael Ruiz , Andrew Fone, FOXNews.com, 4 Dec. 2025

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