kill

1. 1

   To put to death; to extinguish the life of.transitive

   • Smoking kills more people each year than alcohol and hard drugs combined.
2. 2

   To render inoperative.transitive

   • He killed the engine and turned off the headlights, but remained in the car, waiting.
3. 3

   To stop, cease, or render void; to terminate.figurativelytransitive

   • The editor decided to kill the story.
   • The news that a hurricane had destroyed our beach house killed our plans to sell it.
4. 4

   To amaze, exceed, stun, or otherwise incapacitate.excessivefigurativelytransitive

   • That night, she was dressed to kill.
   • That joke always kills me.
5. 5

   To cause great pain, discomfort, or distress to; to hurt.excessivefigurativelyintransitive

   • 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.
6. 6

   To produce feelings of dissatisfaction or revulsion in.figurativelytransitive

   • 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.
7. 7

   To use up or to waste.transitive

   • I'm just doing this to kill time.
8. 8

   To overpower, overwhelm, or defeat.figurativelyinformaltransitive

   • 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.
9. 9

   To force a company out of business.transitive

10. 10

    To punish severely.excessivefigurativelyinformal

    • My parents are going to kill me!

syn. bag · baptize · bereave of life · blight · bring down · bury · cack · compromised to a permanent end · croak · crush · dash · dead

ant. save · rescue · resurrect · revive · raise · reanimate · reawaken · requicken

1. 1

   The act of killing.

   • The assassin liked to make a clean kill, and thus favored small arms over explosives.
2. 2

   Specifically, the death blow.

   • The hunter delivered the kill with a pistol shot to the head.
3. 3

   The result of killing; that which has been killed.

   • The fox dragged its kill back to its den.
4. 4

   An instance of killing; a score on the tally of enemy personnel or vehicles killed or destroyed.countable

   • confirmed kills
   • A flying ace is usually one with five or more confirmed kills.
5. 5

   The grounding of the ball on the opponent's court, winning the rally.

   • As a senior in 1993, Turner had a kill percentage of 40.8, which was a school record at the time and the best in the SAC. Turner concluded her volleyball career with 1,349 kills, ranking fifth all-time at Catawba.

1. 1

   A creek or stream; (more loosely) any watercourse, such as a channel or arm of the sea.New-YorkNortheasternUS

   • The channel beyond Staten Island, which connects Newark Bay with Bergen Neck is the Kill van Kull, or the Kills.
2. 2

   A creek or stream; (more loosely) any watercourse, such as a channel or arm of the sea.; In particular, a waterway with a name ending in kill, such as the Beaverkill or the East Kill.New-YorkNortheasternUS

   • We're gonna go flyfishing over in the kill.

1. 1

   Alternative form of kiln.New-YorkNortheasternUS

   • The stack of one of the pottery kills is still a visible land mark of this once thriving industry.
   • A funerary ceremony comparable to that reported from Kolomoki site is indicated, though no "pottery kill” was located.