mercy killing

noun

Definition of mercy killingnext
as in murder
the act of ending the life of someone who is very sick or injured in order to prevent any further suffering Some called her death a mercy killing.

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of mercy killing Too much damage has been done to the character in recent years, to the point that any death would be seen as a mercy killing now. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 6 May 2026 For the rest of us, sudden death felt like a mercy killing. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026 Kelson teaches Spike how to grow beyond his parents, giving Isla a mercy killing and allowing Spike to place her skull on the top of the structure. — Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025 While this was a funeral rite for some in the Roman period, the researchers think the man was decapitated as a mercy killing after the lion bite. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025 If the mercy killing wasn’t a big enough of a twist, the introduction of three outsiders who stumble upon the girls’ cannibalistic feast will do it. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025 More secrets emerge, Chappelle says there’s no time to explain, even mercy killing the dog. — Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 19 Jan. 2025 The doctor carried out the mercy killing with her family’s consent and support. — Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mercy killing
  1. murder
  2. homicide
  3. massacre
  4. assisted suicide
Noun
  • Their son Nick, 32, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing the filmmaker and his wife to death.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Police had not seen him again until he and Gilson were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds to the head in what law enforcement officials believe was a murder-suicide.
    — Meriam Bouarrouj, NBC news, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of murder
Noun
  • The series follows trainee Detective Eva Bennett, played by Dynevor, who returns to Manchester and joins a new homicide investigation run by her fearsome estranged mother – the legendary Detective Chief Inspector Lois Mercer, played by Morton.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2026
  • After deliberating for just over an hour, the all-male, white, Protestant jury unanimously decided that 32-year-old spinster Borden didn’t commit a brazen daytime double homicide.
    — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of homicide
Noun
  • Mortensen also opened up about how her life was impacted in the aftermath of the massacre.
    — Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
  • Although scarce documentation has left a wide range of estimates, as many as 2 million people are said to have been slaughtered in communal massacres during this exodus.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
Definition of massacre
Noun
  • Luxembourg Luxembourg legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide in March 2009 with the Law on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide.
    — Connor Greene, Time, 16 July 2026
  • In the past years, many French people have traveled to neighboring countries where medically assisted suicide or euthanasia is legal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 July 2026
Definition of assisted suicide

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Cite this Entry

“Mercy killing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mercy%20killing. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on mercy killing

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mercy killing

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