to kill
k
k
i
ɪ
ll
l
British pronunciation
/kɪl/

Definition & Meaning of "kill"

to kill
01

to end the life of someone or something

Transitive: to kill a living being
to kill definition and meaning
example
Example
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The hunter aimed carefully to kill the deer for food.
Pesticides are used in agriculture to kill harmful insects.
1.1

to cause the death of a living organism

Intransitive
example
Example
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The disease can spread rapidly and kill.
In harsh winter conditions, exposure can easily kill.
02

to cause something to fail or come to an end

Transitive: to kill sth
example
Example
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His careless mistake killed our chances of winning the game.
The economic downturn could kill small businesses.
2.1

to remove or erase a line, paragraph, or file from a document or computer system

Transitive: to kill a passage of a text
example
Example
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The editor killed the offensive sentence.
I accidentally killed my whole draft when I pressed the wrong keys.
2.2

to counteract the effect or quality of a particular thing

Transitive: to kill a quality
example
Example
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Adding too much salt can kill the flavor of the soup.
Overcooking the vegetables will kill their natural crunchiness.
2.3

to switch off or cause a light, engine, etc. to stop functioning

Transitive: to kill a mechanism
example
Example
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He killed the engine to save fuel while waiting.
Please kill the lights before leaving the room.
2.4

to completely consume the whole contents of something, particularly a bottle with alcoholic drink

Transitive: to kill a bottle or its content
example
Example
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She killed a whole case of soda at the party.
He could n't believe they killed the entire bottle of tequila.
2.5

to cause the ball to stop, especially in soccer

Transitive: to kill a ball or its movement
example
Example
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The defender skillfully killed the incoming pass with his foot.
The goalkeeper had to kill the ball's momentum to make the save.
2.6

to forcefully stop a running program or process

Transitive: to kill a program or process
example
Example
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Use the task manager to kill the unresponsive program.
The system administrator can kill processes that are causing issues on the server.
03

(particularly in tennis) to strike a ball with such force as to make it impossible to return

Transitive: to kill a ball
example
Example
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She killed the serve with a powerful forehand.
His opponent could n't return the ball after he killed it with a strong shot.
04

to overwhelm a particular person with a certain feeling

Transitive: to kill sb
example
Example
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The suspense in this book is killing me with anticipation.
Knowing I disappointed her really kills me.
4.1

to cause someone great deal of pain or suffering

Transitive: to kill a person or a body part
example
Example
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This headache is killing me.
These high heels are killing my feet!
4.2

to make someone extremely angry or upset

Transitive: to kill sb
example
Example
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Dad will kill me if I lose his car keys.
My boss will kill me if I miss another deadline.
05

to greatly amuse, delight, or entertain to the point of causing laughter or enjoyment

Intransitive
Transitive: to kill sb
example
Example
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The funny puppet show was a hit with the kids and killed at the school event.
His stand-up comedy routine always kills the audience with laughter.
06

to make someone laugh a lot to the point that they can no longer do so

Transitive: to kill oneself
example
Example
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Despite the tension in the room, his witty remark had everyone killing themselves with laughter.
When he shared that embarrassing story, we were all killing ourselves laughing.
07

to have an intense and strong desire or longing for something

Intransitive: to kill for sth
example
Example
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I 'd kill for a taste of my grandma's homemade lasagna.
I would kill for a slice of that delicious chocolate cake.
08

to put too much energy into doing something exhausting or carrying heavy things

Transitive: to kill sb | to kill oneself
example
Example
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Do n't kill yourself.
He did n't exactly kill himself trying to get the work finished.
Kill
01

the act of terminating a life

02

the destruction of an enemy plane or ship or tank or missile

03

the body of an animal, or bodies of animals, killed by a person or another animal

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