homicides

noun

plural of homicide
1
as in murders
the intentional and unlawful taking of another person's life it was feared that the missing man was the victim of a homicide, but no clues as to his disappearance were ever found

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in murderers
a person who kills another person throughout the ages society has stigmatized the homicide

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of homicides The city has nearly 1,000 unsolved homicides, going back to the 1960s. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 July 2026 In 2022, by contrast, there had been almost twice as many homicides by the midpoint of the year, with 50 people killed in Denver by July 1, including 14 children. — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 20 July 2026 Realtors across the region say crime fears continue to plague economic activity downtown, even with the city reaching historic lows in homicides last year and seeing crime reductions across the board since 2024. — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 19 July 2026 Fletcher mentioned that one Minneapolis police officer reported that Somalis account for one-fifth, or 20%, of the city’s homicides. — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 17 July 2026 Scott's office noted the city has seen 50 homicides so far this year. — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 16 July 2026 Other notable statistics from CMPD’s midyear data include a 3% increase in homicides, with 40 so far this year, which is up from 39 over the same time period last year. — Zaire Breedlove, Charlotte Observer, 15 July 2026 When homicides dropped 30% and shootings by 35% in 2025, everyone from the FBI boss to the governor would answer questions about what's going on. — Chris Tye, CBS News, 14 July 2026 The country ended 2025 with a record low in homicides — 82 cases — according to government statistics. — ABC News, 13 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for homicides
  1. murders
  2. murderers
  3. killings
  4. assassins
Noun
  • Two decomposed bodies have been found within five days at a park in western North Carolina, and both cases are classified as murders, according to investigators.
    — Mark Price July 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 July 2026
  • The sentencing of Rex Heuermann in the murders of at least eight women on Long Island should not be treated as the end of a horrific case.
    — Judy Harris Kluger, New York Daily News, 26 July 2026
Definition of murders
Noun
  • At his funeral back in Chicago, the boy’s mother, Mamie Till, insisted on an open casket so all the world could see what racist murderers had done to her only son.
    — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026
  • Deputy Solicitor General Eric Feigin said blocking such searches would handicap police searching for murderers, kidnappers and robbers.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 29 June 2026
Definition of murderers
Noun
  • The Johnson County District Court sentenced Robinson to death for the killings of two women and to life in prison in Kansas for the killing of a third.
    — Alexa Newsom, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026
  • Myung Jin Kim, 31, was wanted in connection with two killings, including a botched murder-for-hire plot in San Jose in 2016 and the killing of Kim’s friend in the parking lot of a CVS in Westminster two years later.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
Definition of killings
Noun
  • Lucky Number Slevin, a movie about mistaken identity, rival crime syndicates, and assassins, was, for some reason (Josh Hartnett), one of the comfort movies of my childhood.
    — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 1 July 2026
  • These artisans, with their trade secrets, were kept on Murano, a cluster of islands just across the lagoon from the city, ostensibly as a precaution against fire, though the state would also send assassins after anyone who tried to leave.
    — Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of assassins

Browse Nearby Words

homicide
homicides
homiletic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Homicides.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/homicides. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on homicides

Nglish: Translation of homicides for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inveigle

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All