murder 1 of 2

Definition of murdernext

murder

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word murder distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of murder are assassinate, dispatch, execute, kill, and slay. While all these words mean "to deprive of life," murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

When could assassinate be used to replace murder?

Although the words assassinate and murder have much in common, assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

When might dispatch be a better fit than murder?

The words dispatch and murder can be used in similar contexts, but dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

Where would execute be a reasonable alternative to murder?

In some situations, the words execute and murder are roughly equivalent. However, execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

When would kill be a good substitute for murder?

While in some cases nearly identical to murder, kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident
frost killed the plants

When is it sensible to use slay instead of murder?

While the synonyms slay and murder are close in meaning, slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

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 murder
Noun
On Friday, a Platte County jury found a former Kansas City police officer guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the 2024 shooting of a 71-year-old man outside a Northland Walmart. Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 30 June 2026 William Craig Durham, 56, was subsequently arrested in connection with the deadly shooting and has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping, court records show. Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 30 June 2026
Verb
Their younger son, Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested that evening and charged with murdering them. Erin Jensen, USA Today, 27 June 2026 Her most memorable scene (of many) may be when she gets murdered by the audience for talking too much during Shakespeare in Love (1998). Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for murder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for murder
Noun
  • Now imagine all their parents having nightmares that this was their university experience.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • From dream home to disaster But faster than a rushing river, that dream became a nightmare when disastrous flooding hit Kerr County last summer.
    Bo Evans, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Noun
  • Investigators said Edmond purchased the firearm in Georgia just 36 days before it was allegedly used in the homicide.
    Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
  • Quigley has pleaded not guilty to motor vehicle homicide in the December 2023 Woburn crash that fatally injured 37‑year‑old Special Olympian Angelo Schettino, who died a month later.
    Boston Herald editorial staff, Boston Herald, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • Martin Sheen is the Army captain tasked with going on a secret mission to Cambodia to assassinate a special forces officer (Marlon Brando) who's gone rogue and might actually be nuts.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • Louis Farrakhan, who is now 93, stepped into the organization’s leadership vacuum shortly after Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965.
    Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • But in her concentration, Porsha fumbled her words, which made the Faithfuls, who were desperate for a crumb of evidence so early in the game, suspicious of her sincerity.
    Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 29 June 2026
  • With Yerry De los Santos also fumbling a bunt in the eighth, the Yanks tallied a season-high four errors on the night.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 June 2026
Noun
  • Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said al-Salem will face a trial of facts next year on murder and torture allegations but he won't be required to appear in court.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
  • In 2019, David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty to torture and years of abuse that included shackling some of their 13 children at their home in California, starving them and providing only a minimal education.
    Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Noun
  • Polish prosecutors have not attributed the slaying to Moscow and Poland's Internal Security Agency did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 June 2026
  • An attorney for Espinal declined to comment on his arrest in Jeremy’s slaying.
    Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • Some mourners, gathering at the funeral of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Saturday, expressed both anguish and a desire for vengeance.
    Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • Tipu himself was found slain near a passageway once used to bring water into the fort; it’s dubbed the Water Gate.
    Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Finally, during penalties, Paraguay was up 3-2 and needed to make only one more kick before missing its last two, nearly blowing the match.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026
  • The sobering reality, however, is that this is a 35-48 team that already has been blown too far off course.
    Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 29 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Murder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murder. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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