1
as in destroys
to deprive of life
during the war more soldiers were killed by disease than anything else
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dismisses
to reject by or as if by a vote
the Senate killed the bill by a single vote
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in deletes
to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it
I think that paragraph is irrelevant, so kill it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in wears
to use up all the physical energy of
the long hike up the mountain just about killed us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in fascinates
to attract or delight as if by magic
with his dark good looks he would positively kill the ladies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in deactivates
to cause to stop functioning
kill the engine before it overheats
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kills
The Week Us, TheWeek, 20 May 2026
Not the person who builds the feature, but the person who kills the feature.
—Abhishek Gandotra, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
In the end, Hughie shoots and kills Butcher to stop him from wiping out the population.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 20 May 2026
Sugar attracts the ants, and baking soda kills them.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 May 2026
When Yasser, the second son of the eight-member Al Mawla family (of the Mawali tribe), accidentally runs over and kills a man from the rival Jabour tribe, his two sisters, nurse Jawaher and fieldworker Rim are sent off to the Sheik of the other tribe as ritual honor offerings.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 19 May 2026
Tobacco kills a large share of its users.
—Katharine Silbaugh, STAT, 19 May 2026
Wojcicki had lung cancer, which kills more than 125,000 Americans each year, more than any other cancer.
—Alice Park, Time, 12 May 2026
What herbicide kills weeds but not grass?
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 11 May 2026
Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 24 Jan. 2026
Cos-Okpalla clinched three of the last five points for Texas A&M with two kills and an assisted block, including a final kill over the middle for match point.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 19 Dec. 2025
Pugh then scored on back-to-back kills later in the set, scored on a block and scored on a kill for the final point of the set.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
Harris had two kills during a 5-1 run that closed out the first game and a kill, block and ace during a comeback in the second game.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
In the near future, a global heat wave that begins in India kills millions and spreads around the world.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 20 May 2026
Not the person who builds the feature, but the person who kills the feature.
—Abhishek Gandotra, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
In the end, Hughie shoots and kills Butcher to stop him from wiping out the population.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 20 May 2026
Sugar attracts the ants, and baking soda kills them.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 May 2026
When Yasser, the second son of the eight-member Al Mawla family (of the Mawali tribe), accidentally runs over and kills a man from the rival Jabour tribe, his two sisters, nurse Jawaher and fieldworker Rim are sent off to the Sheik of the other tribe as ritual honor offerings.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 19 May 2026
Tobacco kills a large share of its users.
—Katharine Silbaugh, STAT, 19 May 2026
Wojcicki had lung cancer, which kills more than 125,000 Americans each year, more than any other cancer.
—Alice Park, Time, 12 May 2026
What herbicide kills weeds but not grass?
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 11 May 2026
Noun
Texas picked it up in the second half and finished with 37 deflections and four kills — a kill represents three consecutive defensive stops — to stymie a Bulldogs team that had won four of its last five games on the road.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 24 Jan. 2026
Cos-Okpalla clinched three of the last five points for Texas A&M with two kills and an assisted block, including a final kill over the middle for match point.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 19 Dec. 2025
Pugh then scored on back-to-back kills later in the set, scored on a block and scored on a kill for the final point of the set.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025
Harris had two kills during a 5-1 run that closed out the first game and a kill, block and ace during a comeback in the second game.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kills
Verb
-
After hundreds to thousands of years, the feeding black hole or neutron star falls into the stellar core and destroys it, creating a luminous emission.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
-
Federal debt destroys wealth and impedes economic growth.—
Rose Evans
May 6,
Idaho Statesman,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Russia dismisses such claims as nonsense.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
10 May 2026
-
Goodspeed dismisses that idea as well.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Disney deletes all biometric numerical values within 30 days, except in cases where the data must be maintained for legal or fraud-prevention purposes.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
19 May 2026
-
Carrie makes the internal transfer on the system, moving me from my old role to my new one, ‘accidentally’ deletes the job listing from the website, and then rescues my employee profile from the digital abyss.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Julianne Hough wears her shorty-shorts to show off her glorious dancer legs at the Disney Upfront in New York City on May 12.—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
Most of the shirts Mason wears follow a visual script that is different from your standardized button-downs.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
At the moment, Philadelphia fascinates me most, a Play-In team that has enough talent to make a run to the finals.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
-
Precious artifacts have been recently unearthed from the site that fascinates scholars worldwide.—
Sharon Chin,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The man looks down almost immediately after the light turns on when the light deactivates.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
This higher temperature darkens the paste, slightly caramelizes the sugar, and deactivates enzymes that would otherwise break down pectin, resulting in a thicker, more cooked-tasting product.—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Employing a cast of non-professional locals, the film playfully interrogates the brutal but bungled occupation while also allowing its actors — many of whom are descendants of the fascists’ victims — to reinterpret and reclaim a chapter in their city’s past.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
15 May 2026
-
Kyiv officials announced a day of mourning on Friday to honor the victims, with national flags at half-mast across the city of three million people.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The real estate that these washes sit on may be an even safer bet for investors, thanks to tax laws that were updated in their favor last year.—
Diana Olick,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
-
But if both of those battles end up as washes, the Knicks could pull away in this series because their work on the glass earns them extra shots.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kills. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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