kill

[[t]kɪ̱l[/t]]

♦

kills, killing, killed

1) VERB If a person, animal, or other living thing is killed, something or someone causes them to die.

[be V-ed] More than 1,000 people have been killed by the armed forces...

[V pron-refl] He had attempted to kill himself on several occasions.

[V pron-refl] Cattle should be killed cleanly and humanely...

[V n] The earthquake killed 62 people...

Heroin can kill.

Derived words:

killing N-UNCOUNT usu N of n

There is tension in the region following the killing of seven civilians.

2) N-COUNT: usu sing The act of killing an animal after hunting it is referred to as the kill.

After the kill the men and old women collect in an open space and eat a meal of whale meat.

3) VERB If someone or something kills a project, activity, or idea, they completely destroy or end it.

[V n] His objective was to kill the space station project altogether...

[V n] Public opinion may yet kill the proposal.

PHRASAL VERB

Kill off means the same as kill.

V P n (not pron) He would soon launch a second offensive, killing off the peace process... V n P The Government's financial squeeze had killed the scheme off.

4) VERB If something kills pain, it weakens it so that it is no longer as strong as it was.

[V n] He was forced to take opium to kill the pain.

5) VERB: only cont If you say that something is killing you, you mean that it is causing you physical or emotional pain. [INFORMAL]

[V pron] My feet are killing me.

6) VERB (emphasis) If you say that you kill yourself to do something, you are emphasizing that you make a great effort to do it, even though it causes you a lot of trouble or suffering. [INFORMAL]

[V pron-refl] You shouldn't always have to kill yourself to do well.

7) VERB (emphasis) If you say that you will kill someone for something they have done, you are emphasizing that you are extremely angry with them.

[V n] Tell Richard I'm going to kill him when I get hold of him.

8) VERB If you say that something will not kill you, you mean that it is not really as difficult or unpleasant as it might seem. [INFORMAL]

[V pron] Three or four more weeks won't kill me!

9) VERB If you are killing time, you are doing something because you have some time available, not because you really want to do it.

[V n] I'm just killing time until I can talk to the other witnesses...

[V n] To kill the hours while she waited, Ann worked in the garden. [Also V n -ing]

10) PHRASE: V inflects, PHR with cl (emphasis) If you say that you will do something if it kills you, you are emphasizing that you are determined to do it even though it is extremely difficult or painful.

I'll make this marriage work if it kills me.

11) PHRASE: V inflects (emphasis) If you say that you killed yourself laughing, you are emphasizing that you laughed a lot because you thought something was extremely funny. [INFORMAL]

12) PHRASE: V inflects If you move in for the kill or if you close in for the kill, you take advantage of a changed situation in order to do something that you have been preparing to do.

Seeing his chance, Dennis moved in for the kill.

13) to kill two birds with one stone → see bird

dressed to kill → see dressed

to kill the goose that lays the golden egg → see goose

to be killed outright → see outright

Phrasal Verbs:

- kill off