KILL Synonyms: 285 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'kill' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of kill are assassinate , dispatch , execute , murder , and slay . While all these words 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

Q: In what contexts can 'assassinate' take the place of 'kill'?

While in some cases nearly identical to kill , assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives. // terrorists assassinated the Senator

Q: When would 'dispatch' be a good substitute for 'kill'?

While the synonyms dispatch and kill are close in meaning, dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death. // dispatched the sentry with one bullet

Q: When is it sensible to use 'execute' instead of 'kill'?

The meanings of execute and kill largely overlap; however, execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty. // executed by lethal gas

Q: Where would 'murder' be a reasonable alternative to 'kill'?

The synonyms murder and kill are sometimes interchangeable, but murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility. // convicted of murdering a rival

Q: When might 'slay' be a better fit than 'kill'?

In some situations, the words slay and kill are roughly equivalent. However, slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive. // slew thousands of the Philistines

kill 1 of 2

verb

ˈkil

Definition of kill next

as in to destroy

to deprive of life during the war more soldiers were killed by disease than anything else

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Relevance

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as in to dismiss

to reject by or as if by a vote the Senate killed the bill by a single vote

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as in to delete

to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it I think that paragraph is irrelevant, so kill it

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stet

as in to wear

to use up all the physical energy of the long hike up the mountain just about killed us

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as in to fascinate

to attract or delight as if by magic with his dark good looks he would positively kill the ladies

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as in to deactivate

to cause to stop functioning kill the engine before it overheats

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kill

2 of 2

noun

as in victim

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as in race

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word kill distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of kill are assassinate, dispatch, execute, murder, and slay. While all these words 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

In what contexts can assassinate take the place of kill?

While in some cases nearly identical to kill, assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

When would dispatch be a good substitute for kill?

While the synonyms dispatch and kill are close in meaning, dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

When is it sensible to use execute instead of kill?

The meanings of execute and kill largely overlap; however, execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

Where would murder be a reasonable alternative to kill?

The synonyms murder and kill are sometimes interchangeable, but murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

When might slay be a better fit than kill?

In some situations, the words slay and kill are roughly equivalent. However, slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of kill

Verb

Moments later, she was killed….This child lost his mother and father in mere seconds. —

Zeena Saifi, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025 By comparison, Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 storm that devastated New Orleans, killed more than 1,800 and cost about $200 billion, according to federal estimates. —

Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2025

Noun

Sneaky shinobi Naoe is all about pulling off kills from the shadows, obscuring herself from enemies by extinguishing lanterns, throwing smoke bombs, and lying prone in bushes — or taking them out from afar with her kunai. —

Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2025 On the kill, Swayman robbed Gaudette on another back door play. —

Stephen Conroy, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for kill

Recent Examples of Synonyms for kill

Verb

By the time the show opened on Friday, the Eaton Fire, which is now 95 percent contained, had burned over 14,000 acres and destroyed over 9,000 structures in Altadena, Pasadena, and other areas nearby.

— Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Palestinians who have been sheltering in squalid tent camps and schools-turned-shelters for over a year are eager to return to their homes — even though they have likely been damaged or destroyed.

— Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025