How to Use killing in a Sentence

killing

1 of 2 noun
  • The oil spill is responsible for the killing of thousands of birds.
  • Koehl was a 19-year-old sailor from Ohio at the time of the killing.
    — David Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2023
  • There have been many more killings in the last few years.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2023
  • No one has yet been charged in the killing of Biggie Smalls.
    — Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2023
  • Matthew Purdy faces a charge of murder in the killing of Smith.
    — Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024
  • The motive for the killing was allegedly a drug deal gone bad.
    — Bill Donahue, Billboard, 29 Jan. 2024
  • Boyd was nearing his 10th year in the fire department at the time of his killing.
    — Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Jan. 2024
  • The three killings bring the number of homicides in the city this year to 175, based on police data.
    — Justin George, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2023
  • The killings have caused some residents to change their daily habits.
    — John Hilliard, BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2023
  • Till’s killing helped galvanize the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
    — Tori Otten, The New Republic, 5 June 2023
  • The gunman, from Chechnya, was convicted of the killing and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
    — Dasha Litvinova, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2023
  • The killing of the three hostages added a sense of urgency to Saturday night’s rally.
    — Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2023
  • This marks the first time a parent of a school shooter was held responsible for the killings.
    — Alexandra Banner, CNN, 7 Feb. 2024
  • Three people have been sentenced to 20 and 24 years for the murder, but to date, the person who ordered the killing is still at large.
    — Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Jan. 2024
  • The first killings are believed to have occurred in San Antonio.
    — CBS News, 6 Dec. 2023
  • His killing shocked the southeast Valley and brought to light a string of attacks by teens that persisted for more than a year.
    — Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2024
  • Lawyers for the men charged in the killings of Balderrama and Hutchinson did not respond to requests for comment.
    — Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023
  • Police released video of a person wanted in connection with the killing, who fled the scene on a bike.
    — Jasmine Hilton, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024
  • More than 40% are watching those making a killing outside of the traditional 9 to 5 and want in.
    — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024
  • Deputies had arrested one person of interest in connection with the killing in the area of Shawnee Drive, the post states.
    — Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 4 June 2023
  • She was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for her role in the killings.
    — Julie Bosman, New York Times, 4 June 2023
  • The car was seen on video at least four times in the early morning hours the day of the killings before speeding off, earlier court filings said.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2023
  • No motive behind the killing has yet been established, O’Boyle added.
    — Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2023
  • The killing left Gerardi’s two children, ages 10 and 9, without a mother.
    — Laura Crimaldi, BostonGlobe.com, 3 June 2023
  • Miller stood trial in the killing of Marvin Yancey, a 34-year-old father of four who died while his fiance was pregnant with his son.
    — Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2024
  • An Idaho prison inmate has been charged in a decade-old killing that troopers say unfolded in a Mat-Su home.
    — Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 10 July 2023
  • Supporters described her as a misguided teen under the influence of LSD on the night of the killings.
    — Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2023
  • But those resonances should serve as an injunction against wide-scale killing, not as a call to extend it.
    — Atina Grossmann, The New York Review of Books, 20 Nov. 2023
  • By varying the rhythm of the story—the amount of time between the killings—Ahmad keeps us on edge.
    — Literary Hub, 22 June 2026
  • Robinson turned himself in to a local sheriff’s office a day after the killing.
    — Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 22 June 2026

killing

2 of 2 adjective
  • So maybe does that free Arya up to put all those killing skills to use against the White Walkers?
    — Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 28 Aug. 2017
  • Killing time is no idle task in this Wild-Blues playoff series.
    — Brian Murphy, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2017
  • But Mr. Smith reported them to the police, bringing their killing spree to an end.
    — Alan Cowell, New York Times, 16 May 2017
  • Some may call it killing time; Ms. Shestakovskaia thinks of it as research.
    — Bonnie Wertheim, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2017
  • The cast sculpture comprises two main pieces, interlocking where the mouth of the lion meets the neck of the dog — the killing moment frozen in time.
    — New York Times, 13 May 2018
  • Prediction for the season: What's next for Salazar, the former Sombra Negra soldier who was last seen in the thick of a killing spree?
    — Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2018
  • Grace believes Carl, who may have dementia, murdered her sister years ago during a killing spree.
    — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 17 May 2018
  • The broader trends offer no surprises: executions are down, but Texas is still the nation's killingest state.
    — Keri Blakinger, Houston Chronicle, 20 Dec. 2017
  • The Riverside man also bought Farook an explosive powder that was used in a bomb that Farook left at the killing scene, authorities said.
    — Fox News, 10 Apr. 2018
  • When forces from his past come for revenge, Mark needs to get himself out of the bind without killing anyone and ruining his non-killing streak.
    — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
  • The anti-trapping, anti-killing anything movement has also taken a toll.
    — John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Jan. 2022
  • For the few pests that do show up, first spray with non-killing repellents such as garlic and garlic pepper tea.
    — Howard Garrett, Dallas News, 26 July 2021
  • And Morgan put an end to his non-killing ways by chopping off the head of his bounty-hunting pursuer — stealing his axe and hat in the process.
    — Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Oct. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'killing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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