slaying

1 of 2

noun

slay·​ing ˈslā-iŋ How to pronounce slaying (audio)
plural slayings
Synonyms of slayingnext
: the act of killing a person : killing, murder
—used chiefly in journalistic writing
a gangland slaying
Sunday's slayings bring to 14 the number of killings this year in what police call gang-related attacks.—Peter Stein
He is accused of ordering the 1989 slayings and robberies of three drug dealers …—Joseph P. Fried

slaying

2 of 2

present participle of slay

Synonyms of slaying

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of slaying in a Sentence

Noun a man wanted for the slaying of seven people during an armed robbery
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Less than 24 hours later, neighbors Derrick Hardaway, 14, and his 16-year-old brother, Cragg, were charged with Sandifer’s slaying. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 The slaying comes on the heels of a violent week in Brooklyn. — Barry Paddock, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026 Now, a detective says the investigation into Wallace’s death helped lead police to the suspect on trial in Las Vegas in Shakur’s slaying. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Local law enforcement Another factor that could have helped eat away at the total number of slayings is more effective prosecution, argues the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for slaying

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slaying was in the 14th century

Rhymes for slaying

See All Rhymes for slaying

Browse Nearby Words

slayer
slaying
SLBM
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slaying. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of conscientious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All