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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slain
Wadded and stacked $1 bills, some of it in plastic bags, were found in the sedan in which Homan, who was 24, was slain.
—
Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 May 2026
The rest of the killings were all planned, the victims slain inside the family’s home, most in the basement, when the rest of the family was not home, Heuermann said.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026
The three others slain in the gunfire early April 3, 2022, Joshua Hoye-Lucchessi, 32; Sergio Harris, 38; and Devazia Turner, 29, were involved in the shootout, Sacramento County prosecutors said.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Mom, pregnant teen and boy slain at home as cops hunt suspects with plan.
—FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
The Staten Island father of three was the ninth livery driver slain in the first four months of 2000.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
Trump has fired the vast majority of his Middle Eastern experts, while dozens of Iran’s top officials have been slain in the conflict.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Apr. 2026
At least 35 searchers have been slain in Mexico since 2010, according to Article 19, a rights group.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
The targeting of the three journalists comes two days after the killing of the photojournalist/camera operated Hussain Hamood, and nine days following the killing of Al-Manar head of programming Mohammed Sherri, who was slain in an Israeli strike in central Beirut.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2026
Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 May 2026
The rest of the killings were all planned, the victims slain inside the family’s home, most in the basement, when the rest of the family was not home, Heuermann said.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026
The three others slain in the gunfire early April 3, 2022, Joshua Hoye-Lucchessi, 32; Sergio Harris, 38; and Devazia Turner, 29, were involved in the shootout, Sacramento County prosecutors said.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Mom, pregnant teen and boy slain at home as cops hunt suspects with plan.
—FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
The Staten Island father of three was the ninth livery driver slain in the first four months of 2000.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
Trump has fired the vast majority of his Middle Eastern experts, while dozens of Iran’s top officials have been slain in the conflict.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Apr. 2026
At least 35 searchers have been slain in Mexico since 2010, according to Article 19, a rights group.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
The targeting of the three journalists comes two days after the killing of the photojournalist/camera operated Hussain Hamood, and nine days following the killing of Al-Manar head of programming Mohammed Sherri, who was slain in an Israeli strike in central Beirut.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slain
Verb
-
The owners of an apartment building in Manhattan where three people were killed in a fast-moving fire early Monday are being sued by the city for neglecting fire hazards at a neighboring property, court documents show.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
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Mohamed Soliman, 46, faces 184 charges in Boulder County District Court in connection with the June 1 attack that killed one woman and injured 29 others.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Last week, Chicago police Officer John Bartholomew was murdered in the line of duty by a seven-time felon on parole who had multiple criminal arrest warrants, according to authorities.—
Silvana Tabares,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
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The case of 19-year-old Kristin Smart, who was murdered in her California Polytechnic State University dorm room in 1996, went cold until 2019 when Christopher Lambert, then a Cal Poly student, started a podcast, Your Own Backyard.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
4 May 2026
Verb
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The assault killed at least seventeen people, including a twelve-year-old boy, wounded dozens, and destroyed buildings.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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The 24 staff members in Ruiz Verduzco’s office are tasked with assisting victims and their families, establishing programs in communities destroyed by violence and drumming up financial support.—
Molly Quell,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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These attacks often provided a larger cultural pretext for the campaigns of extralegal political violence that terrorized Black voters in the South, assassinated political leaders, and marred the integrity of several of the region’s major elections.—
Robert D. Bland,
The Conversation,
30 Apr. 2026
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An al-Qaida affiliate and an allied separatist group assassinated Mali’s defense minister and captured key territory in the country’s north during the attacks.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Chasing Horse was taken into custody in 2023 after Las Vegas police executed a search warrant at his home.—
Sean Mandell,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
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Federal and state law enforcement executed search warrants in Minnesota early on April 28 in connection with an ongoing fraud probe that has embroiled the state, officials said.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slain. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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