kill
♦♦♦ kill /k'ɪl/ (kills killing killed)
1 [VERB] be V-ed, V pron-refl, V n, V
If a person, animal, or other living thing is killed, something or someone causes them to die.
More than 1,000 people have been killed by the armed forces...
He had attempted to kill himself on several occasions...
The earthquake killed 62 people...
Heroin can kill.
● 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] V n
If someone or something kills a project, activity, or idea, they completely destroy or end it.
His objective was to kill the space station project altogether...
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron), V n P
Kill off means the same as kill.
He would soon launch a second offensive, killing off the peace process...
The Government's financial squeeze had killed the scheme off.
4 [VERB] V n
If something kills pain, it weakens it so that it is no longer as strong as it was.
He was forced to take opium to kill the pain.
5 [VERB] only cont, V pron
If you say that something is killing you, you mean that it is causing you physical or emotional pain. (INFORMAL)
My feet are killing me.
6 [VERB] V pron-refl
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)
You shouldn't always have to kill yourself to do well.
7 [VERB] V n
If you say that you will kill someone for something they have done, you are emphasizing that you are extremely angry with them.
Tell Richard I'm going to kill him when I get hold of him.
8 [VERB] V pron
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)
Three or four more weeks won't kill me!
9 [VERB] V n, V n, also V n -ing
If you are killing time, you are doing something because you have some time available, not because you really want to do it.
I'm just killing time until I can talk to the other witnesses...
To kill the hours while she waited, Ann worked in the garden.
10 [PHRASE] V inflects, PHR with cl
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
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 be killed outright: see outrightkill off
1
see kill 3
2 [PHRASAL VERB] be V-ed P, V n P, V P n (not pron)
If you say that a group or an amount of something has been killed off, you mean that all of them or all of it have been killed or destroyed.
Their natural predators have been killed off...
It is an effective treatment for the bacteria and does kill it off...
All blood products are now heat treated to kill off any infection.
1 [VERB] be V-ed, V pron-refl, V n, V
If a person, animal, or other living thing is killed, something or someone causes them to die.
More than 1,000 people have been killed by the armed forces...
He had attempted to kill himself on several occasions...
The earthquake killed 62 people...
Heroin can kill.
● 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] V n
If someone or something kills a project, activity, or idea, they completely destroy or end it.
His objective was to kill the space station project altogether...
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron), V n P
Kill off means the same as kill.
He would soon launch a second offensive, killing off the peace process...
The Government's financial squeeze had killed the scheme off.
4 [VERB] V n
If something kills pain, it weakens it so that it is no longer as strong as it was.
He was forced to take opium to kill the pain.
5 [VERB] only cont, V pron
If you say that something is killing you, you mean that it is causing you physical or emotional pain. (INFORMAL)
My feet are killing me.
6 [VERB] V pron-refl
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)
You shouldn't always have to kill yourself to do well.
7 [VERB] V n
If you say that you will kill someone for something they have done, you are emphasizing that you are extremely angry with them.
Tell Richard I'm going to kill him when I get hold of him.
8 [VERB] V pron
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)
Three or four more weeks won't kill me!
9 [VERB] V n, V n, also V n -ing
If you are killing time, you are doing something because you have some time available, not because you really want to do it.
I'm just killing time until I can talk to the other witnesses...
To kill the hours while she waited, Ann worked in the garden.
10 [PHRASE] V inflects, PHR with cl
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
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 be killed outright: see outrightkill off
1
see kill 3
2 [PHRASAL VERB] be V-ed P, V n P, V P n (not pron)
If you say that a group or an amount of something has been killed off, you mean that all of them or all of it have been killed or destroyed.
Their natural predators have been killed off...
It is an effective treatment for the bacteria and does kill it off...
All blood products are now heat treated to kill off any infection.