kill Meaning & Definition
What Does Kill Mean?
As a verb, kill means to deprive of life. It is also used to mean to slaughter (an animal) for food. As a noun, it means an act or instance of killing. As a noun, it means channel, creek.
Quick Facts About Kill
| Part of speech | verb, noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkil/ |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | obliterate, down and defeat |
| Antonyms | animate, raise and restore |
| Plural | kills |
| Verb forms | kills, killing, killed |
Kill Definition (Verb)
- to deprive of life : cause the death of
a disease that has killed thousands / He threatened to kill them.
- to slaughter (an animal) for food
- to convert a food animal into (a kind of meat) by slaughtering
- to put an end to
kill competition / a change that could kill our chances for success
- defeat, veto
killed the amendment
- to mark for omission
- delete
kill a quote
- annihilate, destroy
kill an enemy
- to destroy the vital or essential quality of
killed the pain with drugs
- to cause to stop
kill the motor
- to check the flow of current through
kill the lights
- to make a markedly favorable impression on
she killed the audience
- to get through uneventfully
kill time
- to get through (the time of a penalty) without being scored on
kill a penalty
- to cause extreme pain to
My back is killing me.
- to tire almost to the point of collapse
has been killing herself to get the project done on time
- to hit (a shot) so hard in various games that a return is impossible
killed a backhand down the line
- to consume (something, such as a drink) totally
… killed his drink and held out the glass. / killed two bottles of wine over dinner
- to cause the death of a person, animal, or plant
a murderer who may kill again / an herbicide that kills on contact / if looks could kill
- to make a markedly favorable impression
was dressed to kill
Kill as a Noun
- an act or instance of killing
an animal moving in for the kill
- a decisive act that conclusively secures something (such as a deal or win)
- something killed: such as
- an animal shot in a hunt
- animals killed in a hunt, season, or particular period of time
- an enemy unit (such as an airplane or ship) destroyed by military action
- a return shot in any of various games (such as badminton, volleyball, or table tennis) that is too challenging for an opponent to handle
Noun
- channel, creek
Synonyms of Kill
Antonyms of Kill
Kill in a Sentence
Smoking kills more people each year than alcohol and hard drugs combined.
He killed the engine and turned off the headlights, but remained in the car, waiting.
The editor decided to kill the story.
The news that a hurricane had destroyed our beach house killed our plans to sell it.
My computer wouldn't respond until I killed some of the running processes.
That night, she was dressed to kill.
That joke always kills me.
These tight shoes are killing my feet.
You don't ever want to get rabies. The doctor will have to give you multiple shots and they really kill.
It kills me to throw out three whole turkeys, but I can't get anyone to take them and they've already started to go bad.
It kills me to learn how many poor people are practically starving in this country while rich moguls spend such outrageous amounts on useless luxuries.
I'm just doing this to kill time.
Look at the amount of destruction to the enemy base. We pretty much killed their ability to retaliate.
The team had absolutely killed their traditional rivals, and the local sports bars were raucous with celebrations.
My parents are going to kill me!
Don't kill yourself raking the leaves now; we're due for a windstorm tonight.
The assassin liked to make a clean kill, and thus favored small arms over explosives.
The hunter delivered the kill with a pistol shot to the head.
The fox dragged its kill back to its den.
confirmed kills
A flying ace is usually one with five or more confirmed kills.
The channel beyond Staten Island, which connects Newark Bay with Bergen Neck is the Kill van Kull, or the Kills.
We're gonna go flyfishing over in the kill.
Smoking kills more people each year than alcohol and drugs combined.
He told the bartender, pointing at the bottle of scotch he planned to consume, "Leave it, I'm going to kill the bottle."
Between the two of us, we killed the rest of the case of beer.
Schuylkill, Catskill, etc.
a disease that has killed thousands
He threatened to kill them.
kill competition
a change that could kill our chances for success
killed the amendment
kill a quote
kill an enemy
killed the pain with drugs
kill the motor
kill the lights
she killed the audience
kill time
kill a penalty
My back is killing me.
has been killing herself to get the project done on time
killed a backhand down the line
… killed his drink and held out the glass.
killed two bottles of wine over dinner
a murderer who may kill again
an herbicide that kills on contact
if looks could kill
was dressed to kill
an animal moving in for the kill
during the war more soldiers were killed by disease than anything else
the Senate killed the bill by a single vote
I think that paragraph is irrelevant, so kill it
the long hike up the mountain just about killed us
with his dark good looks he would positively kill the ladies
kill the engine before it overheats
a disease that has killed thousands / He threatened to kill them.
kill competition / a change that could kill our chances for success
… killed his drink and held out the glass. / killed two bottles of wine over dinner
a murderer who may kill again / an herbicide that kills on contact / if looks could kill
Word Forms & Grammar
killed
kill·ing
kills
kill·able adjective
kill
killable
killing
Kill
Kills
kill (third-person singular simple present kills, present participle killing, simple past and past participle killed)
kill (plural kills)
Words That Rhyme With Kill
Origin of Kill
Origin 1: Middle English, perhaps from Old English *cyllan; akin to Old English cwellan to kill quell
Origin 2: see kill:1
Origin 3: Dutch kil
Origin 4: From Middle English killen, kyllen, cüllen (“to strike, beat, cut”), of obscure origin. Cognate with Scots kele, keil (“to kill”).
Origin 5: Compare also Saterland Frisian källe (“to hurt”), Middle Dutch kellen (“to kill, hurt”), Middle Low German kellen, killen (“to ache strongly, cause one great pain”) (whence German Low German kellen, killen (“to hurt, injure, torment, vex”)), Middle High German kellen (“to torment; torture”).
Origin 6: Borrowing from Dutch kil (formerly spelled kill), from Middle Dutch kille, from Old Dutch *killa, from Proto-West Germanic *killjā, from Proto-Germanic *kiljǭ (“fissure, slit; a type of stream, creek, channel”). Doublet of Kiel.
Origin 7: Most place names with kill were derived entirely in Dutch, but many have been subsequently calqued into English or anglicized by folk etymology; for example, Motherkill and Murderkill both likely derive from Dutch *Modderkil (“Mud Creek”) (better preserved in Mudder Kill and Muddy Kill), originally having nothing to do with mothership or murder.
First Known Use
14th centuryt
1814
1669
Pronouncing Kill
Kill is pronounced /ˈkil/ and has 1 syllable.
Quick Answers About Kill
Is kill a verb or a noun?
Kill is mainly used as a verb, but it can also be used as a noun.
What is another word for kill?
You can replace kill with words such as obliterate, down and defeat. See the full list of kill synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of kill?
The opposite of kill can be expressed with words like animate, raise, restore and resurrect.
What is the plural of kill?
The plural of kill is kills.
What is the past tense of kill?
The past tense of kill is killed. The present participle is killing.