1
as in killed
to deprive of life
millions have been slain worldwide by this dreadful disease
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of slain
Romy later learned that their photographer mother, 70, had also been slain.
—
Jami Ganz, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
Rob Reiner has been showered with accolades for his work in film and TV in the days since he and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found brutally slain in their Brentwood home.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025
In Old Norse mythology, Baldr, the son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg, was slain with a mistletoe spear.
—Matt Kasson, Popular Science, 17 Dec. 2025
The Reiners were found slain from apparent knife wounds in their Brentwood home Sunday afternoon.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 15 Dec. 2025
Ronald Exantus, 42, of Indianapolis, was serving a 20-year sentence for the killing of Logan Tipton, who was brutally slain in his Versailles, Kentucky, home, when he was released back onto the streets in October.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025
Before long, Blanc arrives on the scene, bent on figuring out how Wicks could have been slain, mid-service, by a murderer who appears to have passed right through the church’s walls.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025
Heike Poike and her 2-month-old granddaughter Lyrik Poike were found slain alongside Dakota Smith in a Salt Lake City, Utah residence in September 2015.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 30 Nov. 2025
Police in Trinidad and Tobago have arrested a suspect in the killing of an American man who may have been slain over a drug deal gone bad, authorities said.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
Jami Ganz, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
Rob Reiner has been showered with accolades for his work in film and TV in the days since he and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found brutally slain in their Brentwood home.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025
In Old Norse mythology, Baldr, the son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg, was slain with a mistletoe spear.
—Matt Kasson, Popular Science, 17 Dec. 2025
The Reiners were found slain from apparent knife wounds in their Brentwood home Sunday afternoon.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 15 Dec. 2025
Ronald Exantus, 42, of Indianapolis, was serving a 20-year sentence for the killing of Logan Tipton, who was brutally slain in his Versailles, Kentucky, home, when he was released back onto the streets in October.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025
Before long, Blanc arrives on the scene, bent on figuring out how Wicks could have been slain, mid-service, by a murderer who appears to have passed right through the church’s walls.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025
Heike Poike and her 2-month-old granddaughter Lyrik Poike were found slain alongside Dakota Smith in a Salt Lake City, Utah residence in September 2015.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 30 Nov. 2025
Police in Trinidad and Tobago have arrested a suspect in the killing of an American man who may have been slain over a drug deal gone bad, authorities said.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slain
Verb
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Investigators also found eight 9 mm casings fired from a Glock pistol at the scene where Holmes was killed, according to the affidavit.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Jan. 2026
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Several districts in Kyiv were hit in the attack and an emergency medical aid worker was among those killed, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In 2017, for instance, prosecutors in Contra Costa overcame an insanity defense by William Shultz, who murdered a 9-year-old Discovery Bay boy during a sleepover and blamed it on a delusion about an impending World War III.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Three women are murdered in Dahlonega, Georgia, and the six episodes are all about the search for the culprit.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Palisades fire killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 structures, becoming the third-most destructive fire in state history.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Jan. 2026
-
One year after the Palisades Fire leveled entire neighborhoods and destroyed thousands of homes, one Malibu resident is stepping up to help rebuild his community with his architectural expertise.—
Luzdelia Caballero,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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North Texas will soon have a Charlie Kirk Parkway, dedicated to the memory of the 31-year-old conservative activist who was assassinated last September.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Jan. 2026
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Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated in their home in June.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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McKee said police also executed search warrants before the couple was arrested.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
10 Jan. 2026
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Now, Braddy's case is back in court, with a jury once again weighing whether he should be executed.—
Nicole Acosta,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slain. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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