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¹kill

verb \ˈkil\

: to cause the death of (a person, animal, or plant) : to end the life of (someone or something)

: to cause the end of (something)

: to turn (something) off with a switch

Full Definition of KILL

transitive verb

a : to deprive of life : cause the death of

b (1) : to slaughter (as a hog) for food (2) : to convert a food animal into (a kind of meat) by slaughtering

a : to put an end to <kill competition>

b : defeat, veto <killed the amendment>

c : to mark for omission; also : delete

d : annihilate, destroy <kill an enemy>

a : to destroy the vital or essential quality of <killed the pain with drugs>

b : to cause to stop <kill the motor>

c : to check the flow of current through

: to make a markedly favorable impression on <she killed the audience>

: to get through uneventfully <kill time>; also : to get through (the time of a penalty) without being scored on <kill a penalty>

a : to cause extreme pain to

b : to tire almost to the point of collapse

: to hit (a shot) so hard in various games that a return is impossible

: to consume (as a drink) totally

intransitive verb

: to deprive one of life

: to make a markedly favorable impression <was dressed to kill>

See kill defined for English-language learners

See kill defined for kids

Origin of KILL

Middle English, perhaps from Old English *cyllan; akin to Old English cwellan to kill — more at quell

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to KILL

Synonyms: carry off, claim, croak [slang], destroy, dispatch, do in, fell, slay, take, do away with, do for [chiefly British], make away with

Antonyms: animate

Synonym Discussion of KILL

kill, slay, murder, assassinate, dispatch, execute mean to deprive of life. kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner <killed in an accident> <frost killed the plants>. slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive <slew thousands of the Philistines>. murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility <convicted of murdering a rival>. assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives <terrorists assassinated the Senator>. dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death <dispatched the sentry with one bullet>. execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty <executed by lethal gas>.

Rhymes with KILL

bill, brill, chill, dill, drill, fill, frill, gill, grill, grille, hill, ill, krill, mil, mill, mille, nil, nill, Phil, pill, prill, quill, rill, shill, shrill, sill, skill, spill, squill, still, swill, thill, thrill, til, till, trill, twill, vill, will

²kill

noun

Definition of KILL

a : an act or instance of killing

b : a decisive act that conclusively secures something (as a deal or win)

: something killed: as

a (1) : an animal shot in a hunt (2) : animals killed in a hunt, season, or particular period of time

b : an enemy unit (as an airplane or ship) destroyed by military action

c : a return shot in any of various games (as badminton, handball, or table tennis) that is too hard for an opponent to handle

First Known Use of KILL

1814

³kill

noun, often capitalized

Definition of KILL

: channel, creek —used chiefly in place names in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York

Origin of KILL

Dutch kil

First Known Use: 1669

KILL[1] Defined for Kids

¹kill

verb \ˈkil\

killedkill·ing

Definition of KILL for Kids

: to end the life of : slay <… she still thought cold weather could kill you in a flash. — Christopher Paul Curtis, The Watsons>

: to put an end to <Aspirin will kill this headache.>

: to use up <We still have time to kill.>

: ¹defeat 2 <Senators may kill a proposed law.>

: to cause to become very tired <These long hours are killing me.>

Synonym Discussion of KILL

kill, murder, and assassinate mean to take the life of. kill doesn't specify the manner of death and can apply to the death of anything. <An early frost killed the crops.> <There was a person killed in the accident.> murder is used for the deliberate and unlawful killing of a person. <He was arrested for murdering a rival.> assassinate is usually used for the murder of an important person often for political reasons. <There was a secret plan to assassinate the candidate.>