1
as in killed
to deprive of life
millions have been slain worldwide by this dreadful disease
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in murdered
to put to death deliberately
vowed to slay without mercy whoever was responsible for murdering his family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 slain
Instead, Smith was slain in a shootout.
—
Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Mar. 2026
Demorcy said some bullets and fragments remained in the slain president's body because removing all of them would have taken days and further damaged the remains.
—Tania Francois, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2026
The documentary is built around the investigative work of journalists Katya Hakim and Denis Korotkov who picked up the mantle from three colleagues who were brutally slain while looking into Wagner’s clandestine activities in Africa.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
The farewell ceremony for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been postponed, Iran’s state media is reporting.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026
One person was killed and two more wounded in a shooting down the block from the grand opening of a restaurant tied to slain Southern California rapper Nipsey Hussle.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2026
In a 10-day battle that followed, most of Hussain’s army, including some of his closest companions and relatives, was slain.
—Eric Lob, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
At least 25 Mexican National Guard troops were killed, Mexican authorities say, as supporters of the slain cartel boss took to the streets and lashed out in a spasm of violence that spread across the country.
—Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) pulled the credentials of a Ukrainian skeleton racer who insisted on honoring slain athletes on his helmet.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Mar. 2026
Demorcy said some bullets and fragments remained in the slain president's body because removing all of them would have taken days and further damaged the remains.
—Tania Francois, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2026
The documentary is built around the investigative work of journalists Katya Hakim and Denis Korotkov who picked up the mantle from three colleagues who were brutally slain while looking into Wagner’s clandestine activities in Africa.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
The farewell ceremony for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been postponed, Iran’s state media is reporting.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026
One person was killed and two more wounded in a shooting down the block from the grand opening of a restaurant tied to slain Southern California rapper Nipsey Hussle.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2026
In a 10-day battle that followed, most of Hussain’s army, including some of his closest companions and relatives, was slain.
—Eric Lob, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
At least 25 Mexican National Guard troops were killed, Mexican authorities say, as supporters of the slain cartel boss took to the streets and lashed out in a spasm of violence that spread across the country.
—Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) pulled the credentials of a Ukrainian skeleton racer who insisted on honoring slain athletes on his helmet.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slain
Verb
-
At least 66 people were killed and several others injured when a military transport aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday in Colombia’s Puerto Leguízamo, according to an AP report.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The two pilots were killed, the only fatalities, and 40 people were hospitalized.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
DiMuzio was found murdered about three weeks later.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Mary Callahan has a frightening theory about why her husband was murdered in Miami.—
Joe Dwinell,
Boston Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Reviewing the Pentagon’s video, Miguel said the footage showed buildings on his property being destroyed.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Even factory resets may leave traces of data, so some recyclers will go as far as shredding a device's hard drive — and verify it's been destroyed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Ali Larijani Ali Larijani, who was assassinated on March 17, 2026, was one of the Islamic Republic’s most experienced political insiders.—
Mehrzad Boroujerdi,
The Conversation,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The film is so popular that lawmaker Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, was seen entering an event to one of the film’s trending songs in a video that went viral.—
Harbani Kohli,
NBC news,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea made quite an entrance on The Tonight Show on Monday night (March 23) when the 63-year-old punk funk veteran rocker executed a flawless handstand as host Jimmy Fallon looked on in awe.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Last week, agents executed a search warrant and arrested three people at the scene.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slain. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
