Definition kill in British English

Other ways of saying kill

murder to deliberately kill someone: She denied murdering her husband.

assassinate to kill an important or famous person, often for political reasons or for money: Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963.

slaughter to kill a group of people in a very violent way or to kill farm animals: Local militia then started to slaughter civilians.Thousands of cattle have been slaughtered since the outbreak of the disease.

massacre to kill a very large number of people in a violent or cruel way: Roman soldiers massacred several hundred villagers.

wipe out to kill an entire group of people or animals so that there are none left: These animals can wipe out entire colonies of bees.

exterminate to deliberately kill all the people or animals in a place or area, especially animals that are dangerous or dirty: We’ll need to hire someone to exterminate the rats.

execute to kill someone legally as a punishment for a serious crime: He was executed for treason.

put to death (formal) to execute someone: The King ordered them to be put to death.

commit suicide to deliberately cause your own death: She committed suicide in 1968.

put down or put to sleep to kill an animal because it is ill or in pain and can never get well: We’ve had to have our dog put to sleep.