killing

UK: /ˈkɪlɪŋ/ US: /ˈkɪlɪŋ/ ,(kil′ing)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

kill•ing /ˈkɪlɪŋ/   n. 

1. the act of one that kills:
   [uncountable] Killing is frowned on in most cultures.
   [countable] two gangland-style killings.
2. a quick and unusually large profit or financial gain:
   [countable] They made quite a killing on that last deal.

adj. 

3. [before a noun] fatal or destructive:
   striking with killing force
   .
4. exhausting:
   a killing pace.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

kill•ing  (kil′ing), n. 

1. the act of a person or thing that kills.
2. the total game killed on a hunt.
3. a quick and unusually large profit or financial gain:
   a killing in the stock market.

adj. 

4. that kills.
5. exhausting:
   a killing pace.
6. Informal Terms irresistibly funny.

• 1400–50; late Middle English (gerund, gerundive); see kill¹, -ing¹, -ing²

kill′ing•ly, adv. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

killing / ˈkɪlɪŋ/ adjective

1. very tiring; exhausting: a killing pace
2. extremely funny; hilarious
3. causing death; fatal

noun

1. the act of causing death; slaying
2. a sudden stroke of success, usually financial, as in speculations on the stock market (esp in the phrase make a killing)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

kill¹ /kɪl/   v. 

1. to deprive of life;
   cause the death of;
   cause to die;
   slay: [~ + object]
   soldiers killing the enemy.
   [no object]
   had to kill or be killed.
2. to destroy;
   do away with;
   extinguish:
   [~ + object] His negative response killed our hopes.
3. to cause (time) to pass with a minimum of boredom:
   [~ + object] killed time by reading a novel.
4. Informal Terms to overcome completely* produce an effect that is overwhelming: [~ + object]
   That comedian just kills me.
   [no object]
   dressed to kill.
5. Informal Terms to cause distress, pain, discomfort, or exhaustion to:
   [~ + object] My feet are killing me.
6. Informal Terms to consume completely:
   [~ + object] They killed a bottle of bourbon.
7. to cancel publication of (a word, item, etc.) in something written;
   delete or remove (something typed or entered into a computer):
   [~ + object] killed the last few sentences of his essay.
8. Government to defeat or veto (a legislative bill, etc.):
   [~ + object] The bill was killed before it even got to the floor of the Senate.
9. to turn off;
   switch off:
   [~ + object] Kill the engine.
10. Sport [~ + object] to hit (a tennis ball, volleyball, etc.) with such force that it cannot be returned.
11. kill off, to destroy completely: [~ + off + object]
    to kill off an infestation of termites.
    [~ + object + off]
    to kill the termites off.

n. [countable]

12. [usually singular] the act of killing, esp. game.
13. [usually singular] an animal or animals killed.

kill•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

kill¹  (kil), v.t. 

1. to deprive of life in any manner;
   cause the death of;
   slay.
2. to destroy;
   do away with;
   extinguish:
   His response killed our hopes.
3. to destroy or neutralize the active qualities of:
   to kill an odor.
4. to spoil the effect of:
   His extra brushwork killed the painting.
5. to cause (time) to be consumed with seeming rapidity or with a minimum of boredom, esp. by engaging in some easy activity or amusement of passing interest:
   I had to kill three hours before plane time.
6. to spend (time) unprofitably:
   He killed ten good years on that job.
7. Informal Terms to overcome completely or with irresistible effect:
   That comedian kills me.
8. to muffle or deaden:
   This carpet kills the sound of footsteps.
9. Informal Terms to cause distress or discomfort to:
   These new shoes are killing me.
10. Informal Terms to tire completely;
    exhaust:
    The long hike killed us.
11. Informal Terms to consume completely:
    They killed a bottle of bourbon between them.
12. to cancel publication of (a word, paragraph, item, etc.), esp. after it has been set in type.
13. to defeat or veto (a legislative bill, etc.).
14. Electricity to render (a circuit) dead.
15. to stop the operation of (machinery, engines, etc.):
    He killed the motor and the car stopped.
16. Sport [Tennis.] to hit (a ball) with such force that its return is impossible.
17. Metallurgy
    • to deoxidize (steel) before teeming into an ingot mold.
    • to eliminate springiness from (wire or the like).
    • to cold-roll (sheet metal) after final heat treatment in order to eliminate distortion.
18. Sport [Ice Hockey.] to prevent the opposing team from scoring in the course of (a penalty being served by a teammate or teammates).

v.i. 

19. to inflict or cause death.
20. to commit murder.
21. to be killed.
22. to overcome completely;
    produce an irresistible effect:
    dressed to kill.
23. Slang Terms to feel a smarting pain, as from a minor accident;
    sting:
    I stubbed my little toe and that really kills.
24. kill off:
    • to destroy completely;
      kill, esp. successively or indiscriminately:
      The invaders killed off all the inhabitants of the town.
    • Informal Terms to extinguish;
      eliminate:
      The bus ride every day kills off all of my energy.
25. Idioms kill with kindness, to overdo in one's efforts to be kind:
    The aunts would kill their nephews and nieces with kindness.

n. 

26. the act of killing, esp. game:
    The hounds moved in for the kill.
27. an animal or animals killed.
28. a number or quantity killed.
29. an act or instance of hitting or destroying a target, esp. an enemy aircraft.
30. the target so hit or, esp., destroyed.
31. Sport See kill shot. 

• 1175–1225; Middle English cullen, killen to strike, beat, kill, Old English *cyllan; cognate with dialect, dialectal German küllen (Westphalian). See quell

kill′a•ble, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1. slaughter, massacre, butcher; hang, electrocute, behead, guillotine, strangle, garrote; assassinate.
  Kill, execute, murder all mean to deprive of life.
  Kill is the general word, with no implication of the manner of killing, the agent or cause, or the nature of what is killed (whether human being, animal, or plant):
  to kill a person.
  Execute is used with reference to the putting to death of one in accordance with a legal sentence, no matter what the means are:
  to execute a criminal.
  Murder is used of killing a human being unlawfully:
  He murdered him for his money.

kill²  (kil), n. [Chiefly New York State.]

1. Dialect Terms a channel;
   creek;
   stream;
   river: used esp. in place names:
   Kill Van Kull.

• Dutch kil, Middle Dutch kille channel
• 1660–70, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

kill / kɪl/ verb (mainly tr)

1. (also intr; when tr, sometimes followed by off) to cause the death of (a person or animal)
2. to put an end to; destroy: to kill someone's interest
3. to deaden (sound)
4. to tire out; exhaust: the effort killed him
5. to cause to suffer pain or discomfort: my shoes are killing me
6. to quash, defeat, or veto: the bill was killed in the second chamber
7. to switch off; stop
8. (also intr) to overcome with attraction, laughter, surprise, etc: she was dressed to kill, his gags kill me
9. to hit (a ball) so hard or so accurately that the opponent cannot return it
10. to bring (a moving ball) under control; trap
11. kill oneself ⇒ to overexert oneself: don't kill yourself
12. kill two birds with one stone ⇒ to achieve two results with one action

noun

1. the act of causing death, esp at the end of a hunt, bullfight, etc
2. the animal or animals killed during a hunt
3. the seasonal tally of stock slaughtered at a freezing works
4. the destruction of a battleship, tank, etc
5. in at the kill ⇒ present at the end or climax of some undertaking

Etymology: 13th Century cullen; perhaps related to Old English cwellan to kill; compare German (Westphalian dialect) küllen; see quell