murder 1 of 2

murder

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word murder distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of murder are assassinate, dispatch, execute, kill, and slay. While all these words mean "to deprive of life," murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

When could assassinate be used to replace murder?

Although the words assassinate and murder have much in common, assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

When might dispatch be a better fit than murder?

The words dispatch and murder can be used in similar contexts, but dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

Where would execute be a reasonable alternative to murder?

In some situations, the words execute and murder are roughly equivalent. However, execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

When would kill be a good substitute for murder?

While in some cases nearly identical to murder, kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident
frost killed the plants

When is it sensible to use slay instead of murder?

While the synonyms slay and murder are close in meaning, slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

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 murder
Noun
Bone Valley The first season of this excellent true crime longform podcast tells the story of a man who was wrongfully convicted of his wife’s murder. Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025 The murders horrified the nation, resulting in numerous documentaries attempting to unspool the strange and unsettling tragedy. EW.com, 12 July 2025
Verb
Paul Russell, president of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, said tribal communities have for many years faced crises involving missing and murdered Indigenous persons without any advanced emergency systems to help locate those people. Chris Woodward, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2025 Since 2006, actor Michael C. Hall has embodied the methodical killer, with a code for only murdering bad people on Dexter, and the television universe has continued to shock viewers ever since. Jeff Conway, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for murder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for murder
Noun
  • However, experts are sounding the alarm on one type of photo that could turn a dream vacation into a travel nightmare.
    Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2025
  • What follows is a floor-by-floor descent into madness as Bobby battles bloodthirsty perverts, demonic flash mobs, and hallucinogenic suburban nightmares, all while trying to figure out if he’s meant to be the hero… or just the last guy standing.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • He has not been charged federally with homicide or aggravated assault.
    Raphael Romero Ruiz, AZCentral.com, 12 July 2025
  • The Staten Island resident is facing manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, among other charges.
    Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • Israel has also assassinated much of the terror organization’s top leadership.
    Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 12 July 2025
  • The judge presiding over the case of Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump, has released a letter that the suspect sent to the court.
    Peter Aitken Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • But then Superman lost flight and Warners fumbled the lucrative Reeve franchise greatly.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 8 July 2025
  • Ferguson couldn't find the end zone once, and even fumbled the ball four times, after preventing fumbles entirely during his first two seasons in the league.
    Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • After the torture was over, Anisimova covered her head with a towel before asking to leave the court.
    Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 12 July 2025
  • Abrego Garcia's lawyers recently claimed in court documents that he was beaten and subjected to psychological torture.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • Ruben Perez, 46, was taken into custody in the Midway District shortly after 10 a.m. on suspicion of murder in the slaying of Jason Poindexter, 46, according to the San Diego Police Department.
    City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 July 2025
  • The suspect called 911 to report the victims' death, then later turned herself in as a suspect in the double slaying, police said.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • Meanwhile in the Russian prison, Hopper (David Harbour) slays a full-size demogorgon with a sword.
    Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 16 July 2025
  • Among them: The killing of 22-year-old Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student who was slain last year by a Venezuelan man in the U.S. illegally.
    Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • Kaus was setting up the umbrella when a gust of wind blew her off a lifeguard stand, dropping her on the point end of the 1-inch metal pole, NJ.com reported.
    Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2025
  • In the marquee Challenger matchup of the weekend, a rematch of the Mid-Season final, Las Vegas blew the doors off of Nashville.
    Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Murder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murder. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.

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