American English pronunciation

How to pronounce killed

IPA transcription: ['kɪld]

Hear “killed” pronounced

['kɪld]

Quality: 1.00

['kɪld]

Quality: 1.00

['kɪld]

Quality: 1.00

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”

  • thwart the passage of

    “kill a motion”

    “he shot down the student's proposal”

  • end or extinguish by forceful means

    “Stamp out poverty!”

  • drink down entirely

    “He downed three martinis before dinner”

    “She killed a bottle of brandy that night”

    “They popped a few beer after work”

  • mark for deletion, rub off, or erase

    “kill these lines in the President's speech”

  • be fatal

    “cigarettes kill”

    “drunken driving kills”

  • be the source of great pain for

    “These new shoes are killing me!”

  • overwhelm with hilarity, pleasure, or admiration

    “The comedian was so funny, he was killing me!”

  • hit with so much force as to make a return impossible, in racket games

    “She killed the ball”

  • hit with great force

    “He killed the ball”

  • deprive of life

    “AIDS has killed thousands in Africa”

  • cause the death of, without intention

    “She was killed in the collision of three cars”

  • tire out completely

    “The daily stress of her work is killing her”

  • cause to cease operating

    “kill the engine”

  • destroy a vitally essential quality of or in

    “Eating artichokes kills the taste of all other foods”

Usage examples

  • He is killed in his sleep by the protagonist, Macbeth.
  • Zarathos was later turned into stone and killed.
  • Wheatley was subsequently killed while defending his comrade.
  • Had it struck squarely it would have killed him.
  • The two persons on board were killed.
  • The attack's commander, Captain James Dalyell, was one of those killed.
  • Whoever killed it won the game and took home the chicken.
  • Radiologist Elliot Fishman concluded that she was killed by blunt trauma to the head.
  • The majority of those killed were children.
  • Curiosity killed the cat; Satisfaction brought it back.