killing off

verb

present participle of kill off
as in blotting out

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for killing off
  1. blotting out
  2. taking out
  3. putting away
  4. knocking off
  5. slaughtering
  6. bumping off
  7. rubbing out
  8. carrying off
Verb
  • For a few minutes at each end of that window, the moon’s edge will appear to align with that of the sun, blotting out the star’s fierce light and revealing the wispy corona off to one side.
    — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 6 Apr. 2026
  • From up in the space shuttle, in 1983, astronaut Sally Ride could see the pollution blotting out her Los Angeles hometown.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of blotting out
Verb
  • Sky ended up taking out Perez and Rodriguez with a moonsault to the ground.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Here are 3 better alternatives More Americans are taking out personal loans.
    — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 22 July 2026
Definition of taking out
Verb
  • Joe also takes the chance to collaborate with Coop on a new and more effective system for putting away the toys, which is a relief to Coop.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But no series ostensibly for children has worked harder to guilt-trip adults into taking better care of their pets or belongings than the Toy Story movies, in which the mere act of putting away playthings is tantamount to mass murder.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
Definition of putting away
Verb
  • Other contenders on the stage gave far better answers, but Jackson is the one who is on the cusp of becoming the Democratic nominee in Maine, where the party has its most realistic shot at knocking off an incumbent Republican Senator.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 23 July 2026
  • But if Bellingham leads the Three Lions to immortality, knocking off the reigning champ in the process, Icons certainly won’t be complaining.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of knocking off
Verb
  • Disease had significantly weakened Tenochtitlán’s ability to withstand Cortés’s siege, and the Europeans eventually wore the Aztec warriors down and broke through the city’s defenses, slaughtering the Aztecs and destroying the city.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 June 2026
  • Later on, plundering Barbary pirates raided Mallorca, looting possessions, slaughtering inhabitants and capturing others for the slave trade.
    — Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Definition of slaughtering
Verb
  • In bumping off Ecuador 2-0 Tuesday night in the friendly confines of Estadio Azteca, Mexico has set up Telemundo (and to a lesser extent, Fox) for a post-holiday blockbuster against England.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of bumping off
Verb
  • Also on the trail is a gangster named Clyde (John Magaro), who’s been sent to redo the job of rubbing out the mysteriously undead Ida.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Definition of rubbing out
Verb
  • Zeus acting for his own pleasure underlies the evolutionary tales of small groups raiding foreign shores, carrying off women.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Before the night was out, Germans began chipping away at the barrier, carrying off chunks of one of the symbols of the diminishing Iron Curtain.
    — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 9 Nov. 2025
Definition of carrying off
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.

Browse Nearby Words

killing fields
killing off
killings
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Cite this Entry

“Killing off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/killing%20off. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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