plural slayings
: the act of killing a person : killing, murder
used chiefly in journalistic writing
a gangland slaying
Sunday's slayings bring to 14 the number of killings this year in what police call gang-related attacks. Peter Stein
He is accused of ordering the 1989 slayings and robberies of three drug dealers … Joseph P. Fried

Examples of slaying in a Sentence

a man wanted for the slaying of seven people during an armed robbery
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The ex-wife of a Woodland Hills doctor has been arrested along with four others in his execution-style slaying outside his medical practice this summer, according to police. Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024 The forgery charge relates to his alleged possession of several false identification documents, including one that was allegedly used to check into a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side nearly two weeks before Thompson’s slaying. Dan Mangan, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2024 Thompson's slaying sent shock waves throughout the corporate and health care worlds, raising questions about appropriate security for top-level executives. Tom Winter, NBC News, 10 Dec. 2024 Mangione was arrested on Monday morning after being recognized at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania—a few hundred miles away from the site of Thompson's slaying in New York City. Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for slaying 

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slaying was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near slaying

Cite this Entry

“Slaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slaying. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on slaying

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!