murder

[ mur-der ]

/ ˈmɜr dər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR murder ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Law. the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law. In the U.S., special statutory definitions include murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime, as robbery or arson (first-degree murder, ormurder one), and murder by intent but without deliberation or premeditation (second-degree murder, ormurder two).

Slang. something extremely difficult or perilous: That final exam was murder!

a group or flock of crows.

verb (used with object)

Law. to kill by an act constituting murder.

to kill or slaughter inhumanly or barbarously.

to spoil or mar by bad performance, representation, pronunciation, etc.: The tenor murdered the aria.

verb (used without object)

to commit murder.

Idioms for murder

get away with murder, Informal. to engage in a deplorable activity without incurring harm or punishment: The new baby-sitter lets the kids get away with murder.

murder will out, a secret will eventually be exposed.

yell/scream bloody murder,

to scream loudly in pain, fear, etc.
to protest loudly and angrily: If I don't get a good raise I'm going to yell bloody murder.

Origin of murder

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English mo(u)rdre, murder, variant (influenced by Old French murdre, from Germanic) of murthre; see murther

synonym study for murder

4. See kill¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM murder

self-mur·der, noun self-mur·dered, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH murder

homicide manslaughter murder execute kill¹ murder (see synonym study at kill¹)

Words nearby murder

murchison, murchison falls, murcia, murcott, murdabad, murder, murder in the cathedral, murder one, murder two, murder will out, murderball

Example sentences from the Web for murder

Murder, suicide, illness, old age: These deaths stalk us all, but in prison, they collect us so much more cheaply.

A Million Ways to Die in Prison |Daniel Genis |December 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Murder, violent crime, unemployment, and taxes all rose dramatically under his stewardship.

The Ugly Truth About Cory Booker, New Jersey’s Golden Boy |Olivia Nuzzi |October 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Murder Boner” is a great one: “The thought of extinguishing a human life really makes me aroused.

Inside the Mind of ‘The League’s Rafi: Jason Mantzoukas and Seth Rogen on TV’s Craziest Dude |Marlow Stern |September 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Murder, drugs, and arson are mercifully absent from his story but many things are different than before.

A Teacher Returns to the Classroom and Gets Schooled |Nick Romeo |September 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Saul Bass, the greatest designer of movie title sequences (Anatomy of a Murder, The Man with the Golden Arm) in Hollywood history.

How Jews Created American Modernism |Andrew Romano |August 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Murder and lust and mad passion were hidden in the darkness; law and order and civilization were hundreds of miles away.

The Alaskan |James Oliver Curwood
In one thing only were they united—in their desire to see the last of Murder Point.

Murder Point |Coningsby Dawson
Murder, rape, arson, and pillage began from the moment when the German Army crossed the frontier.

New York Times Current History; The European War, Vol 2, No. 3, June, 1915 |Various
Murder, theft, and arson combined, would scarcely have been more horrible in his eyes.

The White Lady of Hazelwood |Emily Sarah Holt
Murder cuts at the source of all society—which war, which is organized killing, does not.

The King of Alsander |James Elroy Flecker

British Dictionary definitions for murder

murder

/ (ˈmɜːdə) /

noun

the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another Compare manslaughter, homicide

informal something dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant driving around London is murder

cry blue murder informal to make an outcry

get away with murder informal to escape censure; do as one pleases

verb (mainly tr)

(also intr) to kill (someone) unlawfully with premeditation or during the commission of a crime

to kill brutally

informal to destroy; ruin he murdered her chances of happiness

informal to defeat completely; beat decisively the home team murdered their opponents

Also (archaic or dialect): murther

Derived forms of murder

murderer, noun murderess, fem n

Word Origin for murder

Old English morthor; related to Old English morth, Old Norse morth, Latin mors death; compare French meurtre

Idioms and Phrases with murder

murder

In addition to the idiom beginning with murder

murder will out

also see:

get away with (murder)
scream bloody murder

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

murder

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Idioms for murder

Origin of murder

synonym study for murder

OTHER WORDS FROM murder

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH murder

Words nearby murder

Example sentences from the Web for murder

British Dictionary definitions for murder

noun

verb (mainly tr)

Derived forms of murder

Word Origin for murder

Idioms and Phrases with murder

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

murder

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Idioms for murder

Origin of murder

synonym study for murder

OTHER WORDS FROM murder

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH murder

Words nearby murder

Content related to murder

Words related to murder

Example sentences from the Web for murder

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for murder

noun

verb (mainly tr)

Derived forms of murder

Word Origin for murder

Idioms and Phrases with murder

British Dictionary definitions for murder