slaying

noun

slay·​ing ˈslā-iŋ 

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

Synonyms

• blood
• foul play
• homicide
• murder
• rubout

Examples of slaying in a Sentence

a man wanted for the slaying of seven people during an armed robbery

Recent Examples on the Web

Manson and his followers were eventually arrested and charged in the savage slayings in December 1969. —Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025

Wedding’s placement on the Top Ten list could be tied to the slaying of the government’s top witness against him in Medellín, Colombia, in January. —Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2025

Goldstein’s ruling means that the defendant, Paul Gentile Smith, will not face a special circumstance charge of torture in the 1988 slaying and cannot be sentenced to life without parole if found guilty. —Tony Saavedra, Orange County Register, 4 Mar. 2025

Luigi Mangione’s Pennsylvania attorney says police arrested the lead suspect in the slaying of a healthcare CEO improperly. —Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for slaying

• baying
• braying
• faying
• flaying
• fraying
• graying
• greying
• haying
• laying
• neighing
• paying
• playing