kill (kills plural & 3rd person present) (killing present participle) (killed past tense & past participle )
1 verb 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... be V-ed
He had attempted to kill himself on several occasions... V pron-refl
The earthquake killed 62 people... V n
Heroin can kill. V
killing n-uncount usu N of n
There is tension in the region following the killing of seven civilians.
2 n-count The act of killing an animal after hunting it is referred to as thekill.
usu sing
After the kill the men and old women collect in an open space and eat a meal of whale meat.
3 verb 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... V n
Kill off means the same as kill., phrasal verb
He would soon launch a second offensive, killing off the peace process... V P n (not pron)
The Government's financial squeeze had killed the scheme off. V n P
4 verb 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. V n
5 verb If you say that something is killing you, you mean that it is causing you physical or emotional pain.
INFORMAL only cont
My feet are killing me. V pron
6 verb If you say that you killyourself 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, emphasis You shouldn't always have to kill yourself to do well. V pron-refl
7 verb If you say that you will kill someone for something they have done, you are emphasizing that you are extremely angry with them., (emphasis)
Tell Richard I'm going to kill him when I get hold of him. V n
8 verb 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! V pron
9 verb 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... V n
To kill the hours while she waited, Ann worked in the garden. V n, Also V n -ing
10 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.
if it kills me phrase V inflects, PHR with cl (emphasis)
I'll make this marriage work if it kills me.
11 If you say that you killedyourselflaughing, you are emphasizing that you laughed a lot because you thought something was extremely funny.
INFORMAL
kill yourself laughing phrase V inflects (emphasis)
12 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.
move in for the kill/close in for the kill phrase V inflects
Seeing his chance, Dennis moved in for the kill.
13
→
to kill two birds with one stone
→
bird
→
dressed to kill
→
dressed
→
to be killed outright
→
outright kill off
2 phrasal verb 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... be V-ed P
It is an effective treatment for the bacteria and does kill it off... V n P
All blood products are now heat treated to kill off any infection. V P n (not pron)
