kill Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the act of terminating a life
    putting to death; killing.
  2. noun the destruction of an enemy plane or ship or tank or missile
    • the pilot reported two kills during the mission
  3. verb cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
    • This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank
    • The farmer killed a pig for the holidays
  4. verb thwart the passage of
    vote out; vote down; shoot down; defeat.
    • kill a motion
    • he shot down the student's proposal
  5. verb end or extinguish by forceful means
    stamp out.
    • Stamp out poverty!
  6. verb be fatal
    • cigarettes kill
    • drunken driving kills
  7. verb be the source of great pain for
    • These new shoes are killing me!
  8. verb overwhelm with hilarity, pleasure, or admiration
    • The comedian was so funny, he was killing me!
  9. verb hit with so much force as to make a return impossible, in racket games
    • She killed the ball
  10. verb hit with great force
    • He killed the ball
  11. verb deprive of life
    • AIDS has killed thousands in Africa
  12. verb cause the death of, without intention
    • She was killed in the collision of three cars
  13. verb drink down entirely
    drink down; bolt down; pour down; pop; belt down; down; toss off.
    • He downed three martinis before dinner
    • She killed a bottle of brandy that night
    • They popped a few beer after work
  14. verb mark for deletion, rub off, or erase
    wipe out; obliterate.
    • kill these lines in the President's speech
  15. verb tire out completely
    • The daily stress of her work is killing her
  16. verb cause to cease operating
    • kill the engine
  17. verb destroy a vitally essential quality of or in
    • Eating artichokes kills the taste of all other foods

WordNet

Kill noun
Definitions
  1. A kiln. Obs. Fuller.
Kill noun
Etymology
D. kil.
Definitions
  1. A channel or arm of the sea; a river; a stream; as, the channel between Staten Island and Bergen Neck is the Kill van Kull, or the Kills; -- used also in composition; as, Schuylkill, Catskill, etc.
Kill transitive verb
Etymology
OE. killen, kellen, cullen, to kill, strike; perh. the same word as cwellen, quellen, to kill (cf. Quell), or perh. rather akin to Icel. kolla to hit in the head, harm, kollr top, summit, head, Sw. kulle, D. kollen to kill with the ax.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Killed ; present participle & verbal noun Killing
Definitions
  1. To deprive of life, animal or vegetable, in any manner or by any means; to render inanimate; to put to death; to slay.
    Ah, kill me with thy weapon, not with words ! Shak.
  2. To destroy; to ruin; as, to kill one's chances; to kill the sale of a book. "To kill thine honor." Shak.
    Her lively color kill'd with deadly cares. Shak.
  3. To cause to cease; to quell; to calm; to still; as, in seamen's language, a shower of rain kills the wind.
    Be comforted, good madam; the great rage, You see, is killed in him. Shak.
  4. To destroy the effect of; to counteract; to neutralize; as, alkali kills acid. Syn. -- To murder; assassinate; slay; butcher; destroy. -- To Kill, Murder, Assassinate. To kill does not necessarily mean any more than to deprive of life. A man may kill another by accident or in self-defense, without the imputation of guilt. To murder is to kill with malicious forethought and intention. To assassinate is tomurder suddenly and by stealth. The sheriff may kill without murdering; the duelist murders, but does not assassinate his antagonist; the assassin kills and murders.

Webster 1913