kill

[ kil ]

/ kɪl /

verb (used with object)

to deprive of life in any manner; cause the death of; slay.

to destroy; extinguish; do away with: His response killed our hopes.

to destroy or neutralize the active qualities of: to kill an odor.

to spoil the effect of: His extra brushwork killed the painting.

to cause (time) to be consumed with seeming rapidity or with a minimum of boredom, especially by engaging in some easy activity or amusement of passing interest: I had to kill three hours before plane time.

to spend (time) unprofitably: He killed ten good years on that job.

Informal. to overcome completely or with irresistible effect: That comedian kills me.

to muffle or deaden: This carpet kills the sound of footsteps.

Informal. to cause distress or discomfort to: These new shoes are killing me.

Informal. to tire completely; exhaust: The long hike killed us.

Informal. to consume completely: They killed a bottle of bourbon between them.

to cancel publication of (a word, paragraph, item, etc.), especially after it has been set in type.

to defeat or veto (a legislative bill, etc.).

Electricity. to render (a circuit) dead.

to stop the operation of (machinery, engines, etc.): He killed the motor and the car stopped.

Tennis. to hit (a ball) with such force that its return is impossible.

Metallurgy.

to deoxidize (steel) before teeming into an ingot mold.
to eliminate springiness from (wire or the like).
to cold-roll (sheet metal) after final heat treatment in order to eliminate distortion.

Ice Hockey. to prevent the opposing team from scoring in the course of (a penalty being served by a teammate or teammates).

verb (used without object)

to inflict or cause death.

to commit murder.

to be killed.

to overcome completely; produce an irresistible effect: dressed to kill.

Slang. to feel a smarting pain, as from a minor accident; sting: I stubbed my little toe and that really kills.

noun

the act of killing, especially game: The hounds moved in for the kill.

an animal or animals killed.

a number or quantity killed.

an act or instance of hitting or destroying a target, especially an enemy aircraft.

the target so hit or, especially, destroyed.

Sports. kill shot.

Verb Phrases

kill off,

to destroy completely; kill, especially successively or indiscriminately: The invaders killed off all the inhabitants of the town.
Informal. to extinguish; eliminate: The bus ride every day kills off all of my energy.

Idioms for kill

kill with kindness, to overdo in one's efforts to be kind: The aunts would kill their nephews and nieces with kindness.

Origin of kill

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English cullen, killen “to strike, beat, kill,” Old English cyllan (unattested); cognate with dialectal German küllen (Westphalian). Cf. quell

SYNONYMS FOR kill

1 slaughter, massacre, butcher; hang, electrocute, behead, guillotine, strangle, garrote; assassinate.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR kill ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for kill

1. Kill, execute, murder all mean to deprive of life. Kill is the general word, with no implication of the manner of killing, the agent or cause, or the nature of what is killed (whether human being, animal, or plant): to kill a person. Execute is used with reference to the putting to death of one in accordance with a legal sentence, no matter what the means are: to execute a criminal. Murder is used of killing a human being unlawfully: He murdered him for his money.

OTHER WORDS FROM kill

kill·a·ble, adjective self-killed, adjective un·killed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH kill

kill kiln execute kill murder (see synonym study at the current entry)

Words nearby kill

kilij, kilim, kilimanjaro, kilkenny, kilkenny cats, kill, kill off, kill or cure, kill shot, kill switch, kill the fatted calf

British Dictionary definitions for kill off (1 of 2)

kill ¹

/ (kɪl) /

verb (mainly tr)

(also intr; when tr, sometimes foll by off) to cause the death of (a person or animal)

to put an end to; destroy to kill someone's interest

to make (time) pass quickly, esp while waiting for something

to deaden (sound)

informal to tire out; exhaust the effort killed him

informal to cause to suffer pain or discomfort my shoes are killing me

informal to cancel, cut, or delete to kill three lines of text

informal to quash, defeat, or veto the bill was killed in the House of Lords

informal to switch off; stop to kill a motor

(also intr) informal to overcome with attraction, laughter, surprise, etc she was dressed to kill; his gags kill me

slang to consume (alcoholic drink) entirely he killed three bottles of rum

sport to hit (a ball) so hard or so accurately that the opponent cannot return it

soccer to bring (a moving ball) under control; trap

kill oneself informal to overexert oneself don't kill yourself

kill two birds with one stone to achieve two results with one action

noun

the act of causing death, esp at the end of a hunt, bullfight, etc

the animal or animals killed during a hunt

NZ the seasonal tally of stock slaughtered at a freezing works

the destruction of a battleship, tank, etc

in at the kill present at the end or climax of some undertaking

Word Origin for kill

C13 cullen; perhaps related to Old English cwellan to kill; compare German (Westphalian dialect) küllen; see quell

British Dictionary definitions for kill off (2 of 2)

kill ²

/ (kɪl) /

noun

US a channel, stream, or river (chiefly as part of place names)

Word Origin for kill

C17: from Middle Dutch kille; compare Old Norse kīll small bay, creek

Idioms and Phrases with kill off (1 of 2)

kill off

Render extinct, eliminate completely, as in The plague killed off entire villages and towns. [c. 1600]

Represent as dead, as in This mystery writer kills off a new victim in almost every chapter. [Mid-1800s]

Idioms and Phrases with kill off (2 of 2)

kill

In addition to the idioms beginning with kill

kill off
kill or cure
kill the fatted calf
kill the goose that lays the golden eggs
kill time
kill two birds with one stone
kill with kindness

also see:

curiosity killed the cat
dressed to kill
fit to kill
in at the death (kill)
make a killing

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

kill

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Idioms for kill

Origin of kill

SYNONYMS FOR kill

synonym study for kill

OTHER WORDS FROM kill

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH kill

Words nearby kill

British Dictionary definitions for kill off (1 of 2)

verb (mainly tr)

noun

Word Origin for kill

British Dictionary definitions for kill off (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for kill

Idioms and Phrases with kill off (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with kill off (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

kill

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Idioms for kill

Origin of kill

SYNONYMS FOR kill

synonym study for kill

OTHER WORDS FROM kill

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH kill

Words nearby kill

Words related to kill off

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for kill off (1 of 2)

verb (mainly tr)

noun

Word Origin for kill

British Dictionary definitions for kill off (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for kill

Idioms and Phrases with kill off (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with kill off (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for kill off (1 of 2)