ENGLISH THESAURUS & DICTIONARY

kill

noun · verb

Words like kill

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MEANING & USAGE

Definitions & examples

01noun

the act of terminating a life

02noun

the destruction of an enemy plane or ship or tank or missile

“the pilot reported two kills during the mission”

03noun

the body of an animal, or bodies of animals, killed by a person or another animal

04verb

cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

“This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank”

“The farmer killed a pig for the holidays”

13 more meanings

05verb

thwart the passage of

“kill a motion”

“he shot down the student's proposal”

06verb

end or extinguish by forceful means

“Stamp out poverty!”

07verb

be fatal

“cigarettes kill”

“drunken driving kills”

08verb

be the source of great pain for

“These new shoes are killing me!”

09verb

overwhelm with hilarity, pleasure, or admiration

“The comedian was so funny, he was killing me!”

10verb

hit with so much force as to make a return impossible, in racket games

“She killed the ball”

“He killed the ball”

11verb

deprive of life

“AIDS has killed thousands in Africa”

12verb

cause the death of, without intention

“She was killed in the collision of three cars”

13verb

drink down entirely

“He downed three martinis before dinner”

“She killed a bottle of brandy that night”

14verb

mark for deletion, rub off, or erase

“kill these lines in the President's speech”

15verb

tire out completely

“The daily stress of her work is killing her”

16verb

cause to cease operating

“kill the engine”

17verb

destroy a vitally essential quality of or in

“Eating artichokes kills the taste of all other foods”

Meanings and examples from Open English WordNet 2025. About our sources ↗

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Expressions with “kill”

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Explore multiword dictionary entries containing this word. Each has its own meanings and related words.

kill off kill zone mercy kill kill oneself dressed to kill