mercy killing

noun

Definition of mercy killingnext
as in murder
the act of ending the life of someone who is very sick or injured in order to prevent any further suffering Some called her death a mercy killing.

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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 mercy killing Too much damage has been done to the character in recent years, to the point that any death would be seen as a mercy killing now. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 6 May 2026 For the rest of us, sudden death felt like a mercy killing. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026 Kelson teaches Spike how to grow beyond his parents, giving Isla a mercy killing and allowing Spike to place her skull on the top of the structure. — Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025 While this was a funeral rite for some in the Roman period, the researchers think the man was decapitated as a mercy killing after the lion bite. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025 If the mercy killing wasn’t a big enough of a twist, the introduction of three outsiders who stumble upon the girls’ cannibalistic feast will do it. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025 More secrets emerge, Chappelle says there’s no time to explain, even mercy killing the dog. — Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 19 Jan. 2025 The doctor carried out the mercy killing with her family’s consent and support. — Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercy killing
  1. murder
  2. homicide
  3. massacre
  4. assisted suicide
Noun
  • Burks personally prosecuted five capital murder death penalty cases during her time at the district attorney’s office.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The murder of two Israeli soldiers in the West Bank is the jumping-off point for a large-scale invasion of the Palestinian territory, a move that would further test the nation’s fraying relationship with the United States.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of murder
Noun
  • An affidavit prepared by a Fort Worth Police Department homicide detective outlines the circumstances that law enforcement authorities believe support Henton’s arrest for murder, the offense on suspicion of which he was arrested on Friday.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Trump is correct that the United States has seen historic plunges in homicide, violent crime, robbery and property crime.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of homicide
Noun
  • Under Burgum's 2025 campaign, signs, books, films and exhibits covering topics such as slavery, climate change and the massacre of Native Americans were flagged and removed from national parks and monuments nationwide.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • But outrage erupted as tour proceeds are set to fund the radical Palestinian Youth Movementâa extreme group that openly cheered Hamas's brutal October 7 massacre.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of massacre
Noun
  • Earlier this month, a federal judge ordered the state not to enforce the law against a group of Catholics over their religious objections to assisted suicide.
    — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2026
  • And in Canada, 1 in 20 deaths are due to medically assisted suicide.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of assisted suicide

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mercy
mercy killing
mercy killings
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Cite this Entry

“Mercy killing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercy%20killing. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on mercy killing

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mercy killing

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