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kill off

   Also found in: Idioms 0.02 sec.
kill 1  (kl)
v. killed, kill·ing, kills
v.tr.
1.
a. To put to death.
b. To deprive of life: The Black Death was a disease that killed millions.
2. To put an end to; extinguish: The rain killed our plans for a picnic.
3.
a. To destroy a vitally essential quality in: Too much garlic killed the taste of the meat.
b. To cause to cease operating; turn off: killed the motor.
c. To tire out completely; exhaust: "The trip to work, and the boredom and nervousness of jobs, kills men" (Jimmy Breslin).
4. To pass (time) in aimless activity: killed a few hours before the flight by sightseeing.
5. To consume entirely; finish off: kill a bottle of brandy.
6. Sports To prevent a hockey team on a power play from scoring during (a penalty).
7. To cause extreme pain or discomfort to: My shoes are killing me.
8. To mark for deletion; rule out: killed the story.
9. To thwart passage of; veto: kill a congressional bill.
10. Informal To overwhelm with hilarity, pleasure, or admiration: The outstanding finale killed the audience.
11. Sports
a. To hit (a ball) with great force.
b. To hit (a ball) with such force as to make a return impossible, especially in a racquet game.
v.intr.
1. To cause death or extinction; be fatal.
2. To commit murder.
3. Informal To make such a strong impression as to overcome: dress to kill.
n.
1. The act of killing.
2.
a. An animal killed, especially in hunting.
b. A person killed or to be killed: "Infantrymen . . . had seen too many kills suddenly get up and run away or shoot at them as they approached" (Nelson DeMille).
c. An enemy aircraft, vessel, or missile that has been attacked and destroyed.
3. Sports A kill shot.
Phrasal Verb:
kill off
To destroy in such large numbers as to render extinct.
Idiom:
in at/on the kill
Present at the moment of triumph.

[Middle English killen, perhaps from Old English *cyllan; see gwel- in Indo-European roots.]

kill 2  (kl)
n. New York State
See creek. See Regional Notes at stoop2, run.

[Dutch kil, from Middle Dutch kille.]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.kill offkill off - kill en masse; kill on a large scale; kill many; "Hitler wanted to exterminate the Jews, Gypsies, Communists, and homosexuals of Europe"
kill - 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"
Translations
? kill off
vt sep
vernichten, töten; whole raceausrotten, vernichten; cows, pigs, elephantsabschlachten; infectionabtöten; weedsvertilgen; character in TV seriessterben lassen
(fig) hopeszerstören; speculationein Ende machen (+dat); jobsstreichen; companyzugrunde or zu Grunde richten


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
In Noah's flood, he despised Noah's Ark; and if ever the world is to be again flooded, like the Netherlands, to kill off its rats, then the eternal whale will still survive, and rearing upon the topmost crest of the equatorial flood, spout his frothed defiance to the skies.
But our best hope, it was decided, was to kill off the buccaneers until they either hauled down their flag or ran away with the HISPANIOLA.
Once a Sultan proposed to kill off all the dogs here, and did begin the work--but the populace raised such a howl of horror about it that the massacre was stayed.
 
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