slaying

noun

slay·​ing ˈslā-iŋ How to pronounce slaying (audio)
plural slayings
: 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

Examples of slaying in a Sentence

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.
Prosecutors allege Los Cabos is also responsible for the 2018 slayings of three San Diego-area teenagers in Tijuana and the killings of at least three police officers. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2025 Jim Walker made these comments on Tuesday, the day after Fort Worth police arrested a 77-year-old man who is facing a capital murder charge in the slaying of his sister, Carla Walker. Mitch Mitchell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 June 2025 Kenneth Roth, the man suspected in her slaying as well as several other women’s murders, died of COVID-19 in prison in 2020. Stephanie Warsmith, USA Today, 8 June 2025 In 1996, a young Chicago man, Tyrone Hood, was convicted of murder and armed robbery in the 1993 slaying of an Illinois Institute of Technology basketball star. Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for slaying

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Slaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slaying. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.

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