as in overambitiousness
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Recent Examples of killer instinct
But not everyone has that same killer instinct.
—
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Dec. 2025
One quality that distinguishes the very best chess players is killer instinct, an almost animalistic will to win.
—Jordan Himelfarb, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
Some in the organization have voiced the opinion that the Padres need to have more of a collective killer instinct and that getting more consistency out of some star players could help achieve that.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2025
Michael Jordan is one of the greatest ever to pick up a basketball, given his illustrious resume, but another major facet that has added to the lore surrounding him is his killer instinct and competitive nature.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for killer instinct
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Dec. 2025
One quality that distinguishes the very best chess players is killer instinct, an almost animalistic will to win.
—Jordan Himelfarb, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
Some in the organization have voiced the opinion that the Padres need to have more of a collective killer instinct and that getting more consistency out of some star players could help achieve that.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2025
Michael Jordan is one of the greatest ever to pick up a basketball, given his illustrious resume, but another major facet that has added to the lore surrounding him is his killer instinct and competitive nature.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for killer instinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for killer instinct
Noun
-
To create a smoother, creamier product, many commercial oat milk products use amylase enzymes, which break down the starch in oats into simpler sugars, like maltose.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
29 Apr. 2026
-
In 2025, researchers in southern Oregon found starch granules that reveal how Native Americans processed food thousands of years ago.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House In San Leon, Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House will offer a Mother’s Day menu alongside Chef Joe Cervantez’s weekend brunch dishes, including lobster Benedict, hot chicken doughnuts, shrimp and grits and cold seafood platters.—
Ana Khan,
Houston Chronicle,
3 May 2026
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Unique is meant to embody that racial trauma, but Moore doesn’t possess the grit necessary to make the pain and sorrow resonate.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
She was known among her neighbors for her generosity and spunk — and among her relatives for stubborn refusal to leave Bellevue Square, her home of 54 years, The Courant reported in 1997.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Grossmont showed some spunk, rallying for three runs in the bottom of the inning.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Edward Montoya plays Fingal as an idealistic young writer, fresh out of Harvard, with little practical experience but a lot of ability and gumption.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Clearly, the interior designer known as Dabito—Dab, for short—does not lack for gumption.—
Ingrid Abramovitch,
Architectural Digest,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
When those practitioners are taken away from patients, our pluck and determination waver.—
Mindy Uhrlaub,
STAT,
16 Mar. 2026
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The opening guitar plucks received loads of low-mid resonance and crisp string textures, and when the track fully kicked in, each element in the busy mix got plenty of attention and detail.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For the cover of the May 11 & 18, 2026, special issue, themed around America’s 250th birthday, the cartoonist Barry Blitt portrays George Washington, the country’s first President, caught in the spirit of the moment.—
Françoise Mouly,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Mayor Mamdani was elected with that spirit at the center of his agenda.—
Jonathan Timm,
New York Daily News,
3 May 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, Charles is expected to visit a grassroots community organization, Harlem Grown, which created a sustainable after-school urban farming initiative in an effort to combat food insecurity.—
Emma Caughlan,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
-
At Morgan Lewis, Rinehart will work closely with Colleen Nihill, the chief AI and knowledge management officer, to align on the firm’s data and AI initiatives.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
No one wants to have an anxious style, meaning a hunger for reassurance and intimacy, or an avoidant one, implying distance and self-reliance.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
1 May 2026
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China pledges self-reliance, energy independence Top Chinese leaders pledged to accelerate the country’s self-reliance and energy independence in the wake of the Iran war.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Killer instinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/killer%20instinct. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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