kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.
killed in an accident
frost killed the plants
slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.
slew thousands of the Philistines
murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.
convicted of murdering a rival
assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.
terrorists assassinated the Senator
dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.
dispatched the sentry with one bullet
execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.
executed by lethal gas
Example Sentences
Noun She was accused of murder. the mass murder of civilians in wartime a string of unsolved murders Traffic is murder this time of day. Verb He was arrested and accused of murdering his wife. His wife was found murdered. a dictator who is responsible for murdering thousands of innocent people The band murdered that song. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
D’Angelo Rashad Edwards, 25, is charged with murder in the slaying of Willis. Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 10 Sep. 2022 Lamar Golston, 61, was charged with murder on Friday, according to court records.Chicago Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 Flores, now 45, has been charged with Smart’s murder.Fox News, 9 Sep. 2022 Kelly was charged with first-degree murder after the rampage, which had officials warning residents to stay indoors, locking down a baseball stadium and university campuses, and suspending public bus services. Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 9 Sep. 2022 Las Vegas Metro Police arrested Clark County Administrator Robert Telles Wednesday evening in connection with the murder last weekend of longtime investigative reporter Jeff German. Peter Weber, The Week, 8 Sep. 2022 Court records show he has been charged with first-degree murder. Lyric Li, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2022 All three had been charged with murder shortly after Jachkeilin’s death. Amanda Milkovits, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2022 He was then charged with first-degree murder and made his first court appearance on that charge Wednesday. Adrian Sainz, ajc, 7 Sep. 2022
Verb
The centenarian — who has maintained his innocence throughout his months-long trial in Neuruppin state court in east Germany — was convicted of over 3,500 counts of accessory to murder Tuesday. Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 28 June 2022 In his previous life as a forensic blood spatter analyst for the Miami P.D., Dexter had no problem finding criminals to murder. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 2 Nov. 2021 The man, Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, Calif., has been charged with attempting to murder a justice of the United States and has pleaded not guilty.Arkansas Online, 4 July 2022 The man, Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, California, has been charged with attempting to murder a justice of the United States.CBS News, 2 July 2022 The man, Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, Calif., has been charged with attempting to murder a justice of the United States and has pleaded not guilty. Sarah Rankin, BostonGlobe.com, 2 July 2022 Nancy’s group has made it to the attic where Vecna’s body hides while his mind is attempting to murder Max and do battle with Eleven. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 1 July 2022 Investigators said Akram expressed support for Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist serving 86 years in a Texas prison for attempting to murder U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan more than a decade ago. Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2022 Wednesday morning, the trial began for a Baltimore mother and a neighborhood man accused of attempting to murder Jayden over an argument among the girls. Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, 6 Oct. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
partly from Middle English murther, from Old English morthor; partly from Middle English murdre, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English morthor; akin to Old High German mord murder, Latin mort-, mors death, mori to die, mortuus dead, Greek brotos mortal
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1