slaying

Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Idioms.

Related to slaying: Slaying in the Spirit, Slayage

slay

(slā)

tr.v. slew (slo͞o) or slayed or slain (slān) or slayed, slay·ing, slays

1. To kill violently.

2. Slang To overwhelm, as with laughter or love: Those old jokes still slay me.

[Middle English slen, slayen, from Old English slēan.]

slay′er n.

slaying

(ˈsleɪɪŋ)

the act of killinga murder

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun

slaying - unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by a human being

murder, execution

homicide - the killing of a human being by another human being

assassination - murder of a public figure by surprise attack

bloodshed, gore - the shedding of blood resulting in murder; "he avenged the bloodshed of his kinsmen"

contract killing - a murder carried out on agreement with a hired killer

parricide - the murder of your own father or mother

mariticide - the murder of a husband by his wife

fratricide - the murder of your sibling

uxoricide - the murder of a wife by her husband

filicide - the murder of your own son or daughter

liquidation, elimination - the murder of a competitor

carnage, mass murder, massacre, slaughter, butchery - the savage and excessive killing of many people

lynching - putting a person to death by mob action without due process of law

regicide - the act of killing a king

dry-gulching - the act of killing from ambush

hit - a murder carried out by an underworld syndicate; "it has all the earmarks of a Mafia hit"

infanticide - murdering an infant

shoot-down - murder by shooting someone down in cold blood

tyrannicide - killing a tyrant

thuggee - murder and robbery by thugs

slaying

noun killing, murder, massacre, assassination, manslaughter, homicide, bloodshed, carnage, butchery a trail of motiveless slayings

Translations

omicidio uccisione

slaying

[ˈsleɪɪŋ] n

(= killing) → mort f (violente)

(mainly US) (= murder) → meurtre m

slaying

n (esp US: = murder) → Mord m; an increasing number of slayings → eine Zunahme von Mordfällen

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

While he worked night and day to make his farms more productive and to extend his holdings of land, he regretted that he could not use his own restless energy in the building of temples, the slaying of unbelievers and in general in the work of glorifying God's name on earth.

View in context

He was bitter about the slaying of his brothers, Gareth and Gaheris, and would not be appeased.

View in context

It is well known unto me,'' said Isaac; ``the Gentiles deliver this Lucas Beaumanoir as a man zealous to slaying for every point of the Nazarene law; and our brethren have termed him a fierce destroyer of the Saracens, and a cruel tyrant to the Children of the Promise.

View in context

It says nothing in blank verse about the holiness of slaying a tyrant, but it is a step in the right direction.

View in context

What was the use of half slaying him with blows if thou didst not warn him?

View in context

He was not so credulous as to believe that this savage ape-man would have any compunctions about slaying him.

View in context

He put one hand on his heart to still its beating and the other over his eyes, that he might not witness the slaying of his faithful friends.

View in context

But, since the young man had met with such good luck in the matter of the brazen bulls and the dragon's teeth, the king feared that he would be equally successful in slaying the dragon.

View in context

Here the buffaloes were in immense herds; and here they remained for three days, slaying and cooking, and feasting, and indemnifying themselves by an enormous carnival, for a long and hungry Lent.

View in context

But I hardly thought of my other self, now gone from the ship, to be hidden forever from all friendly faces, to be a fugi- tive and a vagabond on the earth, with no brand of the curse on his sane forehead to stay a slaying hand .

View in context

King Agamemnon followed after, ever slaying them and cheering on the Achaeans.

View in context

Should they fall upon a band of inferior force, or upon a village, weakly defended, they act with the ferocity of true poltroons, slaying all the men, and carrying off the women and children as slaves.